A New Lease on Life
by Smitz
Summary: A request for Ash to visit an old friend results in a lifetime of trouble for our young Pokemon Master. Can he help her sort out an incident which left her scarred whilst discovering the...finer points in life?
1. Chapter 1: Circumstances

**Hello one and all. Welcome to my first Fanfiction on this site. Reviews of any description are welcome. I thought I'd begin with my favourite pairing in Pokemon, AbilityShipping. DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POKEMON OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS.**

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><p>'Huff...huff.' The figure swept and crashed through the bushes, splinters flying in their wake. Loud, droning, buzzing sounds filled their world as they scrambled even faster through the branches; desperate to get away from the pursuers.<p>

To any passersby, it would look as if someone had detonated a bomb within the forest. Leaves and branches flew in all directions as the buzzing grew louder.

All of a sudden, a boy, of about sixteen years of age, exploded from the bushes back first. Almost at the same time, another chain of branches flew from the edge of the forest. These were immediately replaced by a swarm of giant, irate insects.

"Come on!" the boy yelped as he scrambled to his knees, "Give a guy a break, huh?"

Like a platoon of arthropod soldiers, the insects (bees to be exact,) answered his call with an organised artillery fire. When seemingly thousands of poisonous barbs rained down upon him, the boy weaved, dived-rolled to his feet and began his mad sprint again.

"Stupid bullet stingers!" he growled.

With a very annoyed grunt, the platoon restarted their chase.

'Alright, if I know anything, Beedrill can't swim,' the boy thought as his feet pounded the dirt track, 'And if I remember this place as good as I think I do...'

Suddenly, his thoughts were painfully interrupted by an enormous barb, ruler-length, jabbing and firmly embedding itself in his right shoulder. With a howl the boy stumbled and landed in the dirt, inches before a grassy incline.

The Alpha of the giant swarm snarled and rushed in for the last strike, it's giant barb glistening like steel. All of a sudden, with grass gripped in his fingers, the boy pulled himself into an awkward front flip, his left heel uppercutting the insect upside it's head.

A loud crack pierced the air as heel made contact with face. The Alpha insect back flipped and crashed into the earth in a crumpled heap. The boy wobbled and stumbled to regain his balance, as he had somehow landed on his feet. Genuinely surprised with his own dexterity, it took the boy several seconds to register the situation before speeding away and leaping high off the incline.

Apparently, the giant swarm was also genuinely surprised with this human's dexterity, as it took them several seconds to also register the situation. Alpha had been knocked out, what was the next plan of action?

Revenge.

The buzzing that ensued could be comparable to that of a jet engine. Row after row of furious insects sliced through the air, streamlining towards their nemesis.

The boy just realised the consequences of knocking out their leader and the noise behind him confirmed it.

This was going to be close.

The boy flew through the air on a burst of adrenaline, flying from the edge of the incline and down towards his savior. A wide, expansive lake.

'Come on!,' he desperately willed himself to fall faster, 'I'm so close!'

An almost deafening buzz filled his ears, sharply followed by a shredding of fabric. A barb had sliced through his clothes like they were no more than tissue paper. The boy would have screamed in pain because of the infectious wound carved into his back, but he could not. Because he just missed the lake shore by less than an inch. He had been swallowed by the cool waters of the lake.

The swarm hovered murderously above the water, daring any ripple or bubble to come into view. After a full minute, the swarm, with a disappointed buzz, flew back to the incline and picked up their unconscious leader. They returned frustrated back to the forest, with an unfulfilled revenge quota.

The boy watched anxiously underwater, as the last of the swarm disappeared from view. He couldn't surface, not yet. If a single sound was made now, the swarm would be back on him quicker than a cat pouncing on a bird.

Twelve seconds later, the boy surfaced with a loud, gargled gasp, deciding it be better to be attacked by murderous bees than drown. But there was no swarm to greet him, as the surrounding forest area was eerily quiet. He swum limply towards the lake edge, a shivering hand grasping the rock. He hauled himself up onto it's sturdy body, and tried to lay on his back. A large, protruding barb in his right shoulder blocked his movement. With a fed-up groan, he decided that his side would have to do. His vision was blurred, and was getting worse. With his adrenaline now gone, his body began to succumb to the barb in his body.

'Neurotoxin from a Beedrill isn't fatal, Brock taught me that.' Surprised that it was still firmly attached to him, he weakly pulled his cap over his eyes, blocking out the the harsh, hot sun. 'It's meant to paralyze their prey before they finish it off.' With his consciousness slowly slipping away, the boy relaxed. 'Pikachu will be here soon. He'll get help, I know he will.' With a weak smile, he finally let himself go.

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><p>This was mostly a good thing, as the next surprise would have surely been more detrimental to his health. A colossal, grotesque sea serpent rose slowly out of the lake water. Measured, this monster would be equivalent to two firetrucks in length, and almost the same in diameter. It resembled that of a blue, Chinese dragon of legend, even equipped with long whiskers protruding from it's snout. It lowered it's terrifying head towards the minuscule body of the unconscious boy, and bared it's long, white, wolf-like fangs; each one as long as a shovel.<p>

This particular sea serpent had been located on the lake bed, enjoying a long sleep. However, it had been rudely interrupted by a certain boy splashing down into it's home. The endless buzzing of the Beedrill did not help either. So it had investigated the sound, but seemed to have ended up with a light snack instead.

Wasting no time, the serpent clicked it's jaw into place, ready to snap down onto the boy.

A loud cry echoed throughout the lake area, stopping the monster in it's tracks.

"Halt Gyarados!"

The sea monster swiveled it's head around to stare down at the source of the noise.

A girl, no older than sixteen, stood defiantly at the lake shore, staring at the monster.

"Restrain yourself, he will not be your snack today." The look she gave the serpent was surprisingly not that of fear or anger, but understanding. "I know your sleep was interrupted by this boy, but forgive him. Please. For he is someone you have met before."

The monster performed a comical double-take, trying to comprehend how this light snack could bare any possible relation to him.

"Please, Gyarados." The serpent glanced at the girl and then the boy. With a snort, the Gyarados (with surprising elegance) turned and splashed back down into the depths of the lake.

The girl frantically rushed to the unconscious boy, sliding to her knees and checking his wounds. After investigating the cause of his injuries, she whipped her head around towards a house sitting atop a hill, overlooking the lake.

"Espeon!" she yelled. A purple blur zipped out of the front door of the house and made a bee-line for the girl. Leaping like dancer and bounding like deer, the purple being leapt towards her master, dropping elegantly down at her feet. "I'll need your help, my friend," sighed the girl, stroking the animal's head. The girl stood, looking longingly at the boy.

"I wanted to meet you and your Pokemon again, but..." the girl gave out a hearted chuckle, "not under similar circumstances." She and her Pokemon, Espeon, with the boy in tow, walked slowly towards the house.

'Looks like he won't be moving for a few days; that neurotoxin is incredible stuff,' she thought absentmindedly, 'although he'll insist on getting up sooner than that.' She smiled warmly at the thought. She knew why. Although he didn't.

'Hopefully we can enjoy ourselves more so than we did before.' She opened the door to the house and stepped inside. 'Ash Ketchum.'


	2. Chapter 2: Darkness

**DISCLAIMER:I DO NOT OWN POKEMON OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS.**

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><p>The boy known as 'Ash' awoke from his slumber. His joints ached, and he had a searing pain along his back and right shoulder. He tried to shift off his back but his body refused, and not because he was tightly tucked in. Ash poured all of his concentration, energy and willpower into lifting one finger. He couldn't. For several minutes, grunts were echoing out from the bedroom as the young Pokemon Trainer tried to budge any nerve in his body.<p>

No luck.

It was when Ash finally settled down, that he actually looked at his surroundings. Well, as much as his peripheral vision would allow him to anyway.

The first thing the trainer noticed was the cool sensation of silk lining his body, a delightful contrast to the rock which he made his bed before. He was shirtless but covered in bandages. Lilac curtains dressed the shady room like flowers around a wreath, not to mention the paper-white walls filling in what the curtains couldn't. Out of the corner of his eye, Ash noticed a modest bedside table and a lilac lamp sitting upon it. He also noticed that his pillows and bedsheets were, you guessed it, lilac as well.

'I'll have to thank whoever patched me up,' Ash thought, 'Because I couldn't have possibly brought myself here or Pikachu for that matter.'

Pikachu...PIKACHU!

Ash glanced around the room as well as he could. No electric mouse in sight.

'I have to find him!' Ash yelled in his head, 'or 'I'll never forgive myself. What if he was captured and taken away by crooks?'

A light, thudding sound brought Ash out of his frantic mindset. It sounded as if someone was climbing up a staircase. A shadow was cast across the door frame as the footsteps increased in volume. Ash quickly closed his eyes; he was capable of that, at least.

In the blackness, Ash could make out a person humming.

'A woman?' He slid open an eye just a crack. A woman, more accurately a teenager, was setting a polished, silver tray down on the bedside table. On the tray were bandages, salve, a glass of water and a bottle of pills. The girl had smooth, lilac hair (a complement to the room) which curled nicely around her head and face. She was garbed in a simple long-white pajama top coupled with lilac track pants. The girl could have easily passed as a male, if it weren't for the very slight amount of bust line peeking outwards from her chest.

Ash, at this point in time, was wrangling his head. He knew that he knew who this girl was, but couldn't quite place his finger on her name. As she turned however, Ash widened his eyes. Because he saw her's.

A deep watery lilac painted the girl's irises. And Ash immediately realised who she was; he'd recognise those eyes from anywhere.

'Anabel?' Ash inwardly asked. It took the girl several seconds to realise the 'unconscious' boy was indeed awake and staring right at her. A yelp flew from her mouth as she fell to the floor.

"You're awake?" she gasped, "You startled the living daylights out of me!" She picked herself onto her knees and stared at Ash. She glanced at the digital clock on the other side of the room. 8:11pm. "It's only been about eight hours since I found you and you're already awake. Amazing." She leaned on the edge of the bed and cocked her head to the side. "Of course, I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Ash." She grinned as she said his name. Ash tried to grin back, but the neurotoxin wouldn't allow it. Anabel sighed as she stood up.

"Right. Let me get back to what I was doing." She reached over to the silver tray and popped two pills out of their container. She grabbed the glass of water and spun to face Ash. "Open wide," she giggled, as if she were feeding her child. "This is third time I've done this today, you know," Anabel said as she lowered Ash's jaw. "Hmm, his lock jaw's improved, not too stiff now," she said to no-one in particular.

'I hope she doesn't think I'm rude for not answering her,' Ash pondered as Anabel slipped the pills onto his tongue and threw his head back with a mouthful of water. She placed the glass back on the tray and picked up the bandages.

"You're not being rude Ash," she answered. Ash almost leapt out of the bed until he suddenly remembered Anabel's special gift.

'Her ability to read emotions in almost any being,' Ash reminded himself, 'It allows her to read people and Pokemon's emotions telepathically.' This was why Ash recognised her eyes. In their previous encounter together, Anabel tried to teach Ash her empathetic powers. The process was looking deep into a person's eyes, and reading their heart for their emotions. This was not mind-reading per se, but probably the closest thing to it. Ash, needless to say, failed miserably. However, Anabel assured him it was fine as most people couldn't do it either.

"I know the effects of Beedrill Neurotoxin well." Anabel's soft voice brought Ash out of his flashback. "I lived near their nest for years now and was, while I was training my powers, attacked numerous times." She frowned at the memory. "We're on good terms now." She shook her head as if to remove the imagery of Beedrills from her mind and pulled out a length of bandage. "You're lucky you were stung by a launched barb, and not the one attached to the Beedrill arm. The launched stingers are crafted to be aerodynamic and therefore shoot faster. The barbs attached to their arms are designed to be unmovable until the prey is unconscious." Ash didn't exactly understand this process, but was relieved that the stinger was out of him.

"Unfortunately though," Anabel continued, "When a barb is removed there is a lot of bleeding, like a plug in a sink. This will be the fifth time today I've changed your bandages." As if to prove her point she adeptly removed the bandage holding Ash's injured shoulder, like a gymnastics ribbon twirler. Anabel hummed as she performed her work. Bandages flew through the room like fireworks. Within five minutes Ash was asleep; his pills now taking effect, with fresh bandages and salve applied to his wounds.

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><p>Anabel plonked herself on a chair opposite to the bed, exhausted from the long day. She sat there staring at him. She looked at his mop of black, scraggly hair and giggled. Her eyes traced his young, muscular body. Over every curve of his biceps, to the muscles in his neck. Anabel bit her lip, and began to daydream over how much Ash had grown. She and him on a sunset beach; him holding her strongly. She, feeling safe and content with him. Relaxed. Their wet bodies clinging together like jigsaw pieces. Anabel began to rub her hands along the curves of her own body, squeezing her eyes shut. It felt good, it really did. She was in complete bliss as her hand began to run up her pajama top.<p>

"Espee?"

Anabel fell to the floor in shock, blushing like a maniac. Apparently running like one too. Straight down the stairs and into her room. She slammed her bedroom door as if she was slamming the gate to the underworld itself and leapt under the (lilac) covers of her (lilac) bed. She was gasping like a fish out of water.

'I completely lost myself!' Anabel thought furiously, 'How could I be so stupid?' She had tears in her eyes.

_Do you want to repeat the events of last time? Do you? _

"Shut up!" she screeched at the voice in her head. She threw a pillow over head and shrieked: "I don't want to remember it!"

"Espee?" mewed her friend's voice. Anabel sat up frantically, pillow armed and ready. Her purple, cat Pokemon, Espeon, sat calmly in the doorway with a very concerned look on her face.

"Oh, um, hey." Anabel lowered the pillow and looked down, embarrassed with herself, "What you saw...how can I-" Her Pokemon friend interrupted her with a mew. "What was I doing? I was...checking my bandages, that's all," Anabel laughed nervously, body dripping with sweat. The look that her Pokemon gave her suggested that she thought this was doubtful. Espeon, being a Psychic-Type, also had empathetic abilities. Telepathic too.

"Espee." The Pokemon sighed.

"You don't need to know what my bandages are for, I have told you this before," Anabel huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "What you witnessed was me checking up on them, that is all. Clear?" She finished the sentence with a raise of her eyebrow. Espeon merely shook her head and bounced onto the bed.

"Good. Now let's sleep, my friend." Espeon snuggled into her master's arms as Anabel switched off the lamp light.

'Luckily I prepared for bed before I checked up on him,' she thought. Once Espeon was comfortable slumbering against her master, Anabel began to doze off too. That night, Anabel clung Espeon tighter to her body than usual; she was afraid.

'I'm sorry my friend,' Anabel thought as her eyes drifted closed, 'But I can't allow my problems to wash off onto you, or anyone else.'

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><p>Ash was currently dreaming about robot samurais. He tossed and turned with a wicked grin on his face, the neurotoxin slowly releasing it's stranglehold on his body. Ash's samurai stood proud atop tens of thousands of enemy robots.<p>

"Hell yeah!" Ash proclaimed, fist-bumping his robot. All of a sudden, a strong, black wind toppled both of them over onto the sandy ground. As Ash's samurai was knocked to the battlefield, it glanced up sharply to spot Anabel sprinting towards him.

"Help me!" she screamed as a swirling pillar of darkness and sand towered above her. The darkness quickly snatched her up while bellowing: _Do you want to repeat the events of last time? Do you? _

"Save me Ash! SAVE ME!" she shrieked with tears pouring down her face.

"Anabel, don't worry!" Ash's samurai drew it's sword, a katana, "I'm here to save you!"

As suddenly as she appeared, she was gone. Swallowed up by the darkness. The darkness itself disappearing completely. Ash stood limply, staring out over the blurry horizon.

"W-what the-" he gaped, "where'd she go?"

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><p>At that moment in time, outside of the dream world, Anabel awoke fiercely, sweat pouring down her cheeks and body.<p>

"Espee?" her friend asked, concerned. Anabel started to breathe normally again, and lay back down.

"I-it was nothing, my friend," she breathed, "Just a nightmare." Anabel lay restlessly for a while, trying to decipher her mad dream.

'It was strange,' she thought. 'It was as if Ash was really there. There...to save me from the darkness.' Anabel felt unusually calm now, despite her recent nightmare. She dozed off eventually, silencing the house for the last time that night.


	3. Chapter 3: Reunion

**Hello everyone and thanks for the reviews! Here is the next part in 'A New Lease on Life.' Apologies to a slow start but trust me, that snowball gets bigger the more it rolls down the hill. ;) DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POKEMON OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS.**

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><p>Ash awoke early that morning, eyes bogged up with sleep. A cold air blew through the open window; it couldn't have been later than 6:30. The cold wind picked up the curtain's velvet hand and slapped Ash's face with it. With an angry growl, Ash sat up and glared at the conniving curtain; he swore it was laughing at him.<p>

Wait, 'sat up?'

Ash had completely forgotten about the neurotoxin, but now gleefully realised it was out of his system. He burst out of the lilac bed, throwing the covers clear across the room, and proceeded to jump around the bedroom with too much energy for someone who had woken up less than a minute earlier.

"Woo-hoo! I can finally move!" he declared to the world, "You have no idea how hard it is to not move for an entire day!" Ash quickly threw himself into a series of stretching exercises (none of which he was particularly good at) as if to emphasise his point to his invisible audience.

"Pikachu look at this, I can-" His face dropped as he remembered the events of the previous day: receiving the E-Mail from Scott, accidentally knocking the tree which contained the Beedrill hive, being separated from Pikachu in the forest, falling into the lake and being treated by Anabel. Ash rushed to the window, overlooking the sparkling lake and the mountains in the horizon, and summoned a huge breath of air.

"PIKACHU! WHERE ARE YOU?" he shouted at the forest, "I PROMISE I'LL FIND YOU! PIKACHU!"

"Pikapi!"

Ash could have jumped clean out the window he was so startled...

Actually, he did. Ash fell 15ft and landed with a loud thump, back first, in a thick bush. He immediately jolted his eyes up to the window and focused, out of breath, on a familiar yellow being.

"Pika!" Pikachu called out, standing on the window frame.

"Pikachu!" Ash called back, utterly relieved his friend was safe, "Come down here, I was so worried!"

Pikachu leapt high into the air and zipped from window sill to window sill with agility that would leave a cockroach in the dust. Electric-Type Pokemon, like Pikachu, are renowned for their unbelievable speed and agility in fights. Most Pokemon Trainers aim to have at least one Electric type on their team.

Finally flipping onto the front door frame, the electric mouse Pokemon barreled into his master's chest, static pulsing from his red cheeks.

Ash held Pikachu tightly for a while. How long you ask? It didn't matter to Ash, as long as his loyal partner was with him.

A creak of a door cut the duo's reunion short. A very tired Anabel had swung the front door open. Her usually neat, shiny hair was now sitting atop her head like a tasseled mop.

"That was one _heck _of an alarm clock," she muttered, placing a heavy head into an equally heavy hand.

"Anabel! Isn't it great? I found Pikachu!" called Ash, completely oblivious to Anabel's withering glare. "And I can move again!"

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><p>A few minutes of Anabel screeching about the importance of every girl's beauty sleep and one seriously aching backside later, Ash was sitting happily at Anabel's dining table, wolfing down self-made pancakes and maple syrup. Anabel herself, grumbled back to bed, mentioning he was lucky it was her day off. After clearing the table and cleaning up his cookery, Ash walked into the living room.<p>

To say Anabel's wall-mounted, plasma screen television was 'large,' would be like describing the surface of the Sun as 'vaguely warm.' Ash was in complete and utter awe of this machine's presence; almost to the extent of bowing down to it. Eyes transfixed on the TV, Ash collapsed onto the black, leather couch situated at the back of the room.

'She certainly refurbished the place since last time,' Ash thought. Hit by a sudden wave of nostalgia, Ash began to recall his adventures within the 'Battle Frontier.'

The Battle Frontier, was seven Pokemon battling facilities situated around the region. However, one facility did not obey this standard, as it moved around the region constantly; the only way of finding it being the defeat of the other six battling centers. Ash had challenged these facilities over three years ago now, and defeated them all. Anabel herself, was titled as a 'Frontier Brain.' A Frontier Brain was an exceptionally skilled Pokemon Trainer, placed in charge of one respective battle facility.

'Anabel defeated me the first time I battled her,' Ash recalled. Ash had eventually defeated Anabel of course, but not after the Frontier Brain helped Ash develop his training. Ash remembered the first time he met Anabel. He'd been chased down by Beedrill and was almost eaten by a Gyarados before she had intervened. The two had clicked the moment they met each other, and were inseparable over the short time they spent together. Three years later, Anabel was still one of Ash's most respected friends.

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><p>"I wouldn't rather a better friend," Ash grinned out loud. A yellow figure plopped itself onto Ash's lap, disturbing his train of thought. Pikachu; apparently finished with the PokeChow Ash had set out for him for breakfast.<p>

"Hey buddy."Ash smiled. "Where'd you come from anyway? I hadn't seen you since we both were split up."

"He didn't 'come from' anywhere, Ash," a voice said matter-of-factly. Ash craned his head around to peer into the eyes of Anabel. She had finally emerged from her bedroom, and was dressed in a loose-fitting singlet top (lilac) and grey jeans. Her hair was now in it's usual shiny shape; albeit a bit damp.

'She must have had a shower,' Ash concluded. 'A hot, steaming shower, water pouring and dripping down her tight, sleek-' He mentally slapped himself.

_Ash! Stop it! _growled the voice in his head, _She's one of your best friends, how dare you?_

'S-sorry.' he sighed. Not again. 'Why me? These last few months I can't stop thinking about...about...girls! Especially naked ones. I must be infected with something horrible. I'll call Brock about it, maybe he'll know what's wrong.' A forearm swept into his eye sight.

"Hello? Ash? Wakey-wakey. What did I just say?" frowned the lilac eyes. Ash opened and closed his mouth like a dying goldfish. Anabel heaved a sigh and placed herself into a leather chair opposite to the couch.

"Once more from the top. After me and Espeon carried you into the house-" She paused when she noticed Ash's expression of: 'How the heck did you accomplish that?' Anabel chuckled. 'Telekinesis," she stated simply, "Another one of Espeon's many talents. Anyway, once we placed you upstairs in bed, Espeon was crashed-tackled by a certain mouse," Anabel leaned over to playfully stare at Pikachu at this last statement, earning a shrug in return. "He said that, 'his master was precious and we should stay away.' However, that was all he could do, as he had been stung by the Beedrills as well." Ash glanced at his yellow friend.

"Pikachu, you went looking for me didn't you?" Pikachu scratched his ear sheepishly.

"So we treated his wounds and placed him in the room next to yours, and here we are," Anabel concluded. Ash was silent, absorbing all this new information.

"Of course, when Pikachu saw Espeon, he knew who we were." Anabel stood up off the chair, walked over to Pikachu and began stroking him behind the ears. If Pikachu could purr, he certainly would be doing so now.

Suddenly, Ash stood up and brought his arms around Anabel, hugging her tight. Anabel, to say the least, was surprised. His masculine body was a lot warmer than she hypothesised. Anabel struggled with herself, physically and mentally. A huge part of her wanted to return his hug, but a tiny, insignificant part of her seemed to be holding something dark and twisted over her entire being. Fear. But of what? Her thoughts were broken when Ash broke the hug; he now held her by the shoulders.

"Anabel, thank you. For everything you did. That's twice I owe you."

"Twice?"

Ash laughed. "Yeah! For improving my skills the first time I saw you, and now." He released her. So did the darkness. "Now what?"

"Now?" Anabel grinned cheekily, grabbing Ash by the arm and throwing him towards the staircase. "You get changed out of...those." She waved her hand, indicating the bandages wrapped tautly around his torso. "I always keep spare clothing, male and female."

"Why?" asked Ash, confused.

"You never know who'll turn up randomly. Now hurry up while I get my stuff ready."

"Stuff?"

"Yes. It's my day off, so let's hit the town." She clasped her hands together. "We could go to the PokeFair, or the movies, or even the mall!" Anabel was grinning like a little girl who found her favourite boy band on her doorstep.

Ash cocked his head to one side. "Hit the town? With what? A racquet or something?"

Silence.

Anabel's bottom lip began to quiver. And then a giggle emerged, followed by a chuckle, followed by laughter and eventually leading into a high pitched squeal as Anabel rolled on her back clutching her sides. Tears rolled down her cheeks as her sides ached. The laughter eventually subsided, finally allowing Anabel to stand up. She allowed herself to lean on the staircase's banister as she goofily grinned at a now _very_ confused Ash.

"Oh Ash Ketchum, you are one of kind." Ash couldn't help but grin back. He had just ridiculed himself in front of his best friend, and now he was grinning at her. Why?

'Seeing Anabel laugh so much is really...' Ash searched his brain for the correct word. '...cute?' It was the best the word he could come up with. Watching her laugh like that had left Ash with an unknown feeling in the pit of his stomach. A certain feeling Ash's brain had neglected to investigate properly.

Ash turned and clambered up the staircase, listening to Anabel giggle behind his back. He didn't mind though. In fact, it had made him smile even wider.


	4. Chapter 4: Day Off  Part 1

**Phew! Longer than usual chapter here. This was originally going to be a huge chapter, but I decided to split it up into parts. This time, we get a little insight into Ash's motives for being here and, a little insight into Anabel's 'darkness.' DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POKEMON OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**

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><p>"Let's see, Food Court." Ash traced his hand down the map of the mall's interior. "Food Court...Food Court...Food Court!" Ash triumphantly stabbed his finger onto grid reference 3B, like a kid who had just found Waldo. "It's on the third floor, Anabel...Anabel?" Ash glanced around the mob of moving shoppers until he found the familiar, lilac hair. Anabel was currently peering into a fashion shop of sorts; specifically into the bra section. Ash's face bloomed like a rose in Spring, and quickly ducked back behind the map.<p>

'Arceus, not again,' Ash pleaded with himself. 'Don't look, don't look, don't look, don't-' He was currently betraying himself as he observed Anabel enter the store, and stride towards the section she was just peering at. Ash's conscience lassoed his wild eyeballs and dragged them back to the mall map; it was a big struggle indeed.

_Really Ash? Really? _blurted the grown-up in his head. Ash could almost see the belt-strap being slapped dangerously in his consciousness' palm. _We had a brilliant start today, are you going to ruin it now? _

'Sorry,' said the dejected teenager that was Ash's brain. His conscience was right though; it had been a brilliant start today.

Ash's clothes were ripped to shreds by Beedrills and the alike, so he searched Anabel's closet like she suggested. Of course, by closet, she meant a walk-in wardrobe which was roughly the size of a shipping container.

'Anabel isn't exactly one for subtlety,' Ash smiled. Ash glanced down at his clothing. Anabel was slightly shorter than him so coincidentally, Anabel had Ash's size in clothes. She said she was: 'rather fond of baggy garments.' Ash was wearing a loose, white shirt, jeans and a black hoodie to go over the top of it all. Anabel stayed in her morning clothes, and only threw a deep-purple jacket over the top.

Espeon and, strangely enough, Pikachu, had both declined today's day out; something about giving Pikachu a 'tour of the area,' Espeon told Anabel. Both of them had hopped onto Anabel's loyal Metagross; a Steel and Psychic-Type Pokemon capable of levitation.

The best way to describe a Metagross, would be to imagine a four-legged, mechanical, steel boulder. Quite a beast, to put it mildly. The giant Pokemon had risen into the air and, with speed that contradicted its bulk, flew off towards Celadon City; 'The City of Leisure,' as the locals put it.

Celadon City was a large town, with tall skyscrapers that mimicked the mountains surrounding the region. With casinos, cinemas, parks and a mall which took up the entirety of a skyscraper, Celadon City certainly lived up to its title.

The pair of teens hadn't been perturbed by the fact that there was absolutely nothing to hold onto. If anything, it had added to the enjoyment of their flight.

The duo had touched down in front of the aforementioned mall, much to the amazement of those nearby. Anabel thanked her friend, and returned it to its Pokeball; a ball capsule designed to hold the bulkier contenders of the Pokemon world. Both teenagers had decided to grab a bite of food before they began their day; Anabel hadn't eaten yet and Ash was already hungry again.

'Speaking of Anabel...' thought Ash. Much to the dismay of his conscience, he watched Anabel exit the store and walk towards him quickly. She had an awkward smile on her face.

"Sorry Ash, but I found something I really like and..." She looked off to the side.

"...it may take a while to, uh, try on so, I'll meet you at the food court. 'Kay?" She grinned at the last word. Ash was jubilant at the fact of not having to wait for his food. He pulled out his new, shiny, red PokeNav; a device similar to a mobile phone, but with GPS capabilities.

"Just call me when you're done, alright?" Ash said, indicating towards his PokeNav. Anabel reached into her back pocket and whipped out her own (lilac) PokeNav. She mocked Ash's action.

"Yes, _mother_," she giggled, slipping the PokeNav back into her pocket. She then flashed a final, cheeky grin before heading back to the fashion store. Ash was stunned; so much so he nearly dropped his PokeNav.

'She looks so...' Ash garbled in his own head, once again his vocabulary failing him, '...good, when she looks at me like that.' Suddenly, Ash threw his PokeNav into his jacket and sprinted towards the food court, belt-strap cracking the entire way.

* * *

><p>Anabel giggled her way back into the store, earning a couple of disconcerting looks from the other shoppers.<p>

'Ash. Since when have you been this protective of your friends?' she thought happily. Anabel brushed this question off due to the size of the mall; he probably thought she might become lost. However, deep down inside her, there was a glimmer of hope, that this protection was due to something else. Anabel dispelled the thought with a shake of her head and returned to the task at hand; the right fit.

Anabel loved shopping with a passion normal to any other teenage girl, except...for a certain kind of shopping.

Bra shopping. Anabel stood in front of the 'smaller' section. This was the third time in less than a year she had to exchange sizes.

'I'm almost happy that Ash has absolutely no concept of lust in him,' she thought, sadly, 'I was so worried when he hugged me, that he'd feel my-' She stopped her train of thought.

'Let's not think about it, shall we Anabel?' she thought, consoling herself, 'Just get it done quickly.' Anabel subconsciously fiddled with her bandages. However, she could not help but spare a quick glance towards the larger cup sizes. How she longed for their comfort. But similar to Ash, her conscience pulled her eyes back towards the smaller sizes. Except for her, it was a more malicious action.

Anabel glanced quickly up and down the smaller size rack; finally focusing on the bra that matched her requirements. She smiled as she plucked it off the hanger; a new thought had entered her mind.

'Since Ash has no concept of lust...yet...' She chuckled halfheartedly, walking towards the change room. 'By process of elimination...he's the only man I can completely trust.'

* * *

><p>"Why doesn't she trust me completely?" Ash wondered out loud, before taking a colossal bite out of his burger.<p>

'Sure, we're good friends and all,' he pondered as he chewed, 'but, I think she's hiding something.' Ash knew something was not quite right with his friend. There was something about the way she reacted to his touch. Ash had hugged his fair share of women, and most seemed content with his gestures. But whenever he hugged or touched Anabel, his body wasn't welcomed with the usual warmth of another human being. It was assaulted with chills, like walking into a room and knowing _something _not quite right is in there. Ash wasn't sure, but it was the only lead he had.

After demolishing his 'BiG GulP' thick shake, Ash withdrew his PokeNav from his pocket and accessed his E-mails. He wanted to make sure he didn't miss anything in Scott's message. Ash tapped the part of the screen labeled, 'RE: Scott.' It read:

_'Ash, thank you so much for accepting my request. _

_You were the only one I could think of that Anabel would open up to. What I tell you next is NOT to be mentioned to Anabel, you will be undercover okay? _

_Look Ash, I don't like to admit but, over the past several months, Anabel's been losing her credibility as a Frontier Brain. She has been losing roughly 80% of her matches and has closed herself off from me and the other Frontier Brains. As her employer, I will have to sack her if this trend continues. As her friend, I want to know what's happened to her. Whatever happened several months ago is affecting her now and...I'm at my wits end. _

_So Ash, your mission, report any unusual behaviour from her to me. We have to figure out what happened, and how to fix it. Get back to me as soon as you can. _

_Good Luck! Scott.'_

Ash re-read the E-mail over and over. He tapped on the, 'reply' button, and told Scott what he had noticed over the past few days. His mysterious nightmare, the strange white fabric he'd observed poking out from her singlet-top today and most importantly, the chills she gave off whenever he touched her. Ash gingerly tapped, 'send,' and quickly snapped his PokeNav into his pocket. Nothing could describe the horrible taste in his mouth; and it wasn't from the fast food either.

It was guilt.

Ash felt absolutely horrible for prying into his friend's private life. It was despicable, he told himself. But himself also reasoned, it was for her sake.

Suddenly, his pocket began to vibrate, someone was contacting his PokeNav. Ash, in one smooth (and admittedly practiced) motion, flipped the gadget out of his pocket and snapped it open as he caught it. The screen displayed Anabel, her hoodie thrown over her shoulder, but wearing a new, tighter (but still baggy) singlet-top. Light-red, surprisingly.

"Hey there, Ash!" said Anabel, content with her shopping, "Hold off the beef. I want some too cowboy, I'm on my way. See ya there!"

Blip!

Black screen.

Silence.

Ash was once again stunned. Everything he had just sent to Scott seemed to be contradicted by that call. With a loud huff, he visibly shook himself, like a dog drying its hair. There was just too much thinking for his poor brain to comprehend and, quite frankly, he was sick of this whole 'undercover' thing for one day anyway. So, in another smooth (and also admittedly practiced) motion, Ash reversed the way he withdrew his PokeNav, and sat back down to eat his food.

* * *

><p>Two burgers and one large fries later, Ash spotted a familiar, light-red singlet-top standing out from the white, marble walls of the food court. Anabel carried three bags of shopping, her purple jacket now tied around her waist. Ash tried to avert his eyes from the amount of skin that Anabel exposed with that singlet top.<p>

'No cleavage though,' he noted.

Crack! Went the belt-strap.

_Why does that matter?_

Ash held up a large, fast-food bag as she approached the table. The bag was absolutely bulging with greasy food.

"Here you go," he managed through a mouthful of salty fries, "I wasn't sure what you liked, so I ordered pretty much everything." Anabel sat down, dropping her bags on the white, marble floor.

"That's fine, I'm not picky," she smiled as she took the food bag. She eagerly opened it and pulled out a burger almost the size of her head. "I also have a high metabolism, lucky eh?" Anabel proceeded to take a colossal bite, one that could rival Ash's, out of the burger and smiled happily. The two sat in silence as they ate; with Ash stealing quick glances at Anabel whenever she wasn't looking. He couldn't explain it but, there was something alluring about the way her lips moved.

'Alluring Anabel,' Ash thought, happy that his vocabulary was working for the time being. Anabel grinned with a straw in her mouth.

'I think Ash has forgotten about my gift,' she thought cheekily, Anabel had sensed something different in her friend. It was tiny; near non-existent. But it was something she had hoped to have felt in him for three years.

A small drop of attraction was slowing weaving its way into Ash's mindset, and Anabel couldn't have been happier.

'So he's no longer completely oblivious to love,' she thought, 'this means I might have a chance of winning him over!'

_But what else does it mean? _cooed something twisted in her head. _You _know _what it means Anabel, but are you game enough to admit it? _Anabel stopped eating.

'No...its not that. You're wrong!' Anabel's mind fought back. But to no avail. Fear sprouted from her head, and slowly intertwined with the rest of her body. She couldn't move. It laughed cruelly.

_Isn't that _exactly _what you told yourself last time? _Anabel openly flinched. _Bulls-eye. _

'Just stop it!' she begged, 'I'll prove to you he's different! JUST SHUT UP!'

_He's not different; they're all the same. You know that better than any__one. _A tear rolled down Anabel's cheek. _I'm right, aren't I?_

"Hey Anabel!" A voice sliced through the tendrils that had captured her body. Fear scoffed, and retracted its lock on Anabel's body.

"You're crying! Is there something wrong?" called a very concerned Ash. It took her several seconds to register, but Anabel was staring into Ash's innocent eyes.

"I'm fine Ash, just caught a bit of salt in my eye." She rubbed it to show her point. "Let's go. Next stop, the PokeFair!" Ash grinned like a kid in a candy store.

'He's different, I'll show you.' Anabel grabbed her bags as Ash tried to stuff their obscene amount of garbage into the, 'Recycle,' part of the bin; much to the protests of a nearby janitor. She laughed at the scene, until a stray broom was thrown her way. All of a sudden, Ash grabbed her arm and was pulling her towards the exit, away from the enraged cleaner.

_Wasn't that the exact way 'he' grabbed you befo-_

"Shut up!" Anabel blurted out. Ash glanced at her, confused. She merely shook her head and laughed; the laugh that drove Ash crazy. "Don't worry." Ash, himself, was concerned about two things. Anabel's sudden outburst and:

'Why isn't she as cold as before?'

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><p><strong>Get ready for some heavy Ability shipping next chapter ;)<strong>


	5. Chapter 5: Day Off Part 2

**Hey ho again everyone. Thanks for the reviews and apologies for the wait! Longest chap so far, and also the chap with biggest amount of writer's block involved (A lot of filler moments in this chapter.) Anyhoo, let's see a different side of Anabel today shall we? DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POKEMON OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**

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><p>"Ash! Hurry <em>up<em>! We're going to miss the Champion of Unova's battle with Steven..._Steven_ _freaking Stone!_"

Ash ran like an avid athlete and even so, he failed to match the speed of Anabel when she was faced with the prospect of an amazing battle. To be fair, Ash was carrying four show bags, an inflatable squeaky-hammer and a blue bear bigger than himself. The bear was strapped to Ash's back, like a hiker who had brought a little too much for the day's hike.

Anabel and Ash were currently inside the PokeFair and were both heading towards Celadon Stadium, where 'Celadon Weekly' proclaimed: "A Battle between the Best!" was to occur. That is, if:

"ASH! MOVE. YOUR. BUTT!" Ash picked up the pace. If Anabel was resorting to one syllable words, you had better watch out.

Rounding several more stalls, Anabel raced towards a ticket booth.

'Look! There's no people waiting for tickets, we'll be lucky to catch half of the battle at this rate,' Anabel thought angrily. "Hey! You!"

The ticket worker who was being put to sleep by the dreariness of the booth was well awake now, and staring into the fiery eyes of the teenage girl who was thundering towards him. He swore there was steam flying from her nostrils.

Like a ninja throwing their stars, Anabel whipped into her pocket and hurled her wallet at the booth. It cartwheeled in the air in an arc like a Frisbee and collided with the face of the frightened worker, actually knocking him to the floor.

"Two tickets. Celadon Stadium. _Now_!" growled Anabel as she raced for the booth. She was not going to stop and wait. The worker shook his head, wallet-print and all, and clumsily withdrew the amount needed. He hastily worked the cash-register as the girl-train barreled towards him, arm outstretched. The wallet, change and tickets were pushed gingerly under the glass barrier with the worker hiding underneath the booth wall.

In a single swipe, Anabel flipped her wallet and the rest into the air, snapping them up like a crocodile.

"Thank you!" she called back, in a complete contrast to her performance a few seconds ago. The worker grimaced and waved, unsure whether or not he should have.

* * *

><p>Anabel spied the entrance to the stadium; it was wide open! She grinned wickedly.<p>

'Sorry Ash, but I'm _not _missing this battle for the world.' And on that thought, she picked up the pace. Faster and faster. Closer and closer. She was almost there, she could see the lobby.

Anabel leapt and flew a full ten feet into the-

_SMACK!_

-stainless, reinforced, glass doors.

Anabel had had headaches before, but not on the verge of passing out. Like a bird who had met a window, she peeled herself off the doors and plopped onto her back, breathing heavily. Anabel crawled to the wall of the stadium and lay there with her back pressed up against it, she rubbed her head where she had headbutted the stadium. There was already a lump forming. The world was blurry and her eyes wouldn't stop rolling in their sockets, so after a good minute or two, she managed to regain control of her senses.

Anabel glanced up to where she had run from and spotted, with a little chuckle, a big, blue, blob bounding towards her. Attached to the bounding, blue blob was the face of a very concerned Ash.

Suddenly, Ash dropped everything he was carrying and ran full speed towards her, face white as a sheet. In a swift movement he swept into Anabel's view on all fours.

"What happened? You're BLEEDING!" Ash gasped out of breath.

'Bleeding?' Anabel traced a finger down her face and felt something sticky and warm.

Blood.

"Oh," she breathed softly. She looked back at Ash; he was hurriedly searching his backpack for any remnants of First Aid supplies. He was throwing objects away like they were live grenades.

"Ash."

No response.

"_Ash_."

No response.

"Ash!"

Ash abruptly stopped his frantic search and stared worriedly at Anabel; said girl desperately trying to stifle her giggles. She held up her fingers.

"Two things. One: I'm fine besides a headache, thank you for your concern." Ash heaved a heavy sigh. "And two: remember how I packed the First Aid kit and you packed-" Her own laughter finished off the sentence.

It hit him. Anabel had stuffed the results of her shopping spree into his backpack as they had ran from the manic janitor. Ash swiveled his head around at the now colourful Celadon Stadium.

It was as if someone's washing machine had exploded; clothes of every design were strewn all over the concrete ground. Ash glanced at Anabel laughing herself into hysterics and found, he too, began to laugh like crazy.

The couple left an odd impression on every passerby; two teenagers giggling like idiots amongst a jungle of garments would leave anybody confused. Eventually, the two ran out of breath and both fell onto their backs.

There was a long, but comfortable silence as the duo lay apart from each other. Each one in deep thought about the other person. Anabel sighed inwardly, no longer caring about where her mind wandered to. Her eyes slid shut.

'His face is so cute, it really doesn't suit his masculinity. Although...' She mentally studied him. 'That could change in a few years.' Her thoughts were rudely interrupted however, by something squishy and wet being dragged down her face. Her eyes flew open, only to be met by another pair staring deep into hers.

"Eeya!" Anabel's body convulsed reflexively, catapulting her knee into Ash's stomach. The poor boy groaned loudly (rather out of character too,) and doubled over, barely catching his face from colliding with the concrete. Anabel sat up quickly, breathing deep and fast.

"What the heck, Ash?" she asked, almost yelling. It took the writhing boy a full ten seconds to answer her. He pushed himself up onto his bottom and held up a white rag. Anabel studied it. A disinfectant wipe; it was stained pink.

"I was trying to clean your face, cause, you know, there was blood dripping down it from that." He pointed to the lump on her head. Anabel's expression immediately softened.

'I thought he was-'

And she found herself hugging his form, much to the surprise of the both of them. Ash hugged her back instinctively, but he felt something different in this touch, something that his brain was desperately trying to process. Anabel felt it. And wanted it bad.

'Come on Ash. Figure it out. Not just for you, but for me as well.' Unfortunately, it was too soon for Ash's brain to click, so the feeling quietened. Anabel's mind groaned in disappointment.

The two pulled away, but kept their arms held.

'What is it?' Ash questioned the universe, 'What am I missing? What _is _this feeling?' A pressure on his forearms pulled Ash out of his deep thoughts and back to Anabel. She had tightened her grip on his arms.

'I'm so close to cracking him. I can't give up now when I'm so close!' Anabel looked away from Ash's face.

_Help...is all that he needs...go on...Anabel..._

Anabel widened her eyes. This voice wasn't the twisted one that had tortured her for the past months. It was soothing; tranquil. It spoke again.

_His heart has unknowingly locked this emotion away..._

Anabel looked back into his deep, hazel eyes. The stadium and surrounding area had been silenced; there was nothing but Anabel and Ash staring longingly at each other.

_Will you be the key to break the lock? _

This questioned needed no answer. As it had already been done so.

Anabel leaned in towards Ash's face and pecked him, ever so lightly, on the lips.

Such a small movement triggered an emotional domino effect within Ash's mind. Millions of tiny thought processes sparked and connected; whirring around in a whirlwind of electrical emotion. It whirred faster and faster. His brain, with new inspiration, flew into a frenzy, connecting every dot known to Ash's memory. They spun erratically eventually collided to form one conclusion:

Love.

Ash had figured it out. The emotion that had avoided his existence for sixteen years. It took the form of Anabel.

This series of events had been instantaneous; barely taking a split second to occur. But for Ash, it was an entire new lease on life.

The two teenagers immediately flared up in their faces, nearly melting the ground they sat on. Anabel released her grip on the boy and stared at him anxiously.

'Did it work? Please for the love of all that's good, _please _let that be enough.' Suddenly, Ash stood, startling Anabel in the process. She studied the boy as he smiled at her from above. He seemed...older. She felt a glimmer of hope.

"Really Anabel, it was nothing." chuckled Ash, as he scratched the back of his head, "But let's clean up, it's starting to get dark." Anabel stood and cuffed Ash on the back of the head, for many reasons.

"You were the one throwing my shopping away like it was on fire," she huffed.

"They're your clothes and besides...we missed the match." A roar from the crowd inside the stadium emphasised his point. Anabel shot Ash an icy glare that read: "Do not even MENTION that if you like being alive." Ash got the point, and began to pick up the crumpled clothes surrounding him.

Anabel folded the shopping that Ash passed to her and neatly slotted it into his backpack. It was like the two had been professional laundromat operators their entire lives. The colourful production line proceeded smoothly for a while until Ash had tossed some of the last clothes to Anabel, only to realise she wasn't there. A quick glance saw Anabel race back to the bag from behind him, concealing something large and round in her arms. After a few seconds of quick cramming, Anabel returned to folding clothes as if the last ten seconds had never existed. Ash scratched his head.

'I wonder what that was about?' he thought. Dismissing the suspicion with a shrug, he went back to hurling clothes at her general direction.

Twenty minutes later and outside the PokeFair, Ash and Anabel proceeded to hop atop of her beloved Metagross. With a low hum, surprisingly similar to that of a washing machine, the steel boulder rose majestically into the cool, night air and sped off in the direction of the Frontier Brain's house.

The night wind ruffled Anabel's hair as they hovered over acres of trees, so she had to keep brushing it behind her ear. Unknown to her, she was being curiously watched by the teenager sitting by her side.

* * *

><p>A light touchdown and dinner later, both teenagers collapsed onto Anabel's couch. A simultaneous sigh escaped them.<p>

"What a day, huh?" laughed Ash. Anabel propped her head up on the edge of the couch and smiled at him.

"I'll say," she grinned, indicating at the results of their day out in the next room, "What with all the shopping and prizes we collected. Not to mention 'Marty, the Manic Maintenance Man.'" Anabel giggled at her own joke. Immediately Ash jumped up onto the sofa and struck a dramatically stupid pose.

"Pud id in da trash bin! Pud id in da trash bin! Pud id in da trash bin!" Ash bellowed in a mocked, German voice. Anabel sprang onto her feet and continued the scene. She yelled in falsetto:

"Marty save me! A bad little boy has placed waste in the recycling! _Help_!"

"_Nein!_ I must save ze poor liddle girl from the evils of garbage!" Ash dove into the air and belly-flopped onto the couch, springing Anabel upwards. With elegance to match a brick, she landed with an 'oof' on top of him. Anabel proceeded to laugh harder, along with the muffled laughs vibrating from the couch pillows. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Eventually, she hopped off him and stood in the middle of the living room.

"I didn't know trash could be so important to anyone," she spoke to no-one in particular. Ash removed his wet face from the couch; there was an imprint where his head had been.

"Did you think he would have gone as far as to crash-tackle me in the middle of Celadon City?" Anabel had to clamp her mouth tightly to prevent another laughing fit.

"Or to call Officer Jenny..." Ash continued, smirking. He had her now. He could see her trembling. "Or threaten to call his mum on me-"

"_Damnit Ash_!" Anabel laughed as she dove for him. Suddenly, Ash's hands flew out to meet Anabel's and in an upside down pendulum motion, swung her over him. With a loud thump, they landed back on the couch, Ash on top of Anabel whilst pinning her arms down with his.

Anabel froze. Fear began to intertwine itself with her again; she suddenly felt sick to the core.

"A-Ash," she stuttered, "Please let go." Ash grinned and shook his head.

"Nuh-uh, I've got you now," he growled playfully.

"Seriously, g-get off." Anabel began to sweat heavily. Ash continued to grin, oblivious.

"I won't let you go. No way." Anabel began to struggle, but Ash kept a firm lock on her body. She began to breath erratically; she was frantic.

"G-get...o-off..." she whimpered. Ash, instead, pinned her down even harder.

"You're not getting away," he growled. Anabel threw her head up in a sudden explosion of fury.

"_GET OFF!_"

Her face in that moment, was the single most scary thing Ash had witnessed in his entire life. Teeth bared and eyes ablaze, her face contorted into a ferocious scowl; she was unrecognisable.

Ash feebly peeled himself off of her, and crawled his way to the edge of the couch. He sat there trembling, white, desperately trying to erase the image from his head.

Anabel herself, sat in a ball, cold; miserably staring at her friend. She knew it wasn't his fault, but he came on so suddenly, even if he was just being playful.

After what seemed to be the longest ten minutes of his life, Ash finally spoke up.

"A-Anabel...I...uh." He was treading on cracked glass and he knew it. "I...I'm sorry, I didn't know that-" He was interrupted by Anabel's dismissive hand.

"It's okay," her voice trembled, "I shouldn't have gone off like that..."

"..."

"..."

Silence.

"..."

"...remember how his mum had enough hair to cover a Piloswine and a half?"

Anabel released a very unlady-like snort and dropped heavily to the floor. Her limbs splayed about limply as she giggled like a maniac. Ash released his limbs also, glad that his friend had risen from her misery.

With her giggles finally subsiding, Anabel clambered up off the floor and back onto the couch. She wrapped her arms around Ash's shoulders and squeezed him.

"Thanks, Ash," she murmured. Ash's face flushed a deep red; except this time, he knew why.

Sort of.

'It must be this 'love' thing I remember Brock always talking about,' he thought as Anabel sat up off the couch, 'I've really got to ask him about it.' He watched Anabel glance at her wall-mounted, analogue clock. She whistled.  
>"Ten fifteen? Ash, I have work tomorrow, so we'll have to call it a night." And so with strength that defied her stature, Anabel heaved Ash towards the staircase. "Go on, shoo! I have to get ready for bed." Ash clasped his hands in front of his chest in a cliché 'begging' pose.<p>

"Yes, _mother_," he cooed, mockingly. Anabel raised her eyebrows.

"Did you just use my own joke against me?"

"Maybe," Ash called as he jogged up the staircase.

Anabel shook her head as she wandered into her room, where she came upon a scene which positively melted her heart. She quietly left the room and just as quietly crept up the staircase. Ash was about to climb under the soft, silken covers when a knock resounded from the guest bedroom door.

"Ash!" Anabel murmured through the wood, "Come have a look at this." Shirtless, Ash opened the door to find Anabel bouncing lightly from toe to toe. She looked like she had struck gold. Ash followed her down the staircase and to the vicinity of her bedroom. Anabel lifted a finger to her lips and slowly creaked the door open. The scene before him made Ash smile widely.

Espeon was curled up on the bed, but specifically curled up in a certain yellow mouse's arms. Both Pokemon were sound asleep.

Anabel had to cover her mouth to block the resounding, "_Aww_!" from escaping her lips. She looked at Ash and he looked at her. They both nodded. Ash gently scooped Pikachu into his arms and carried him up the staircase back to the guest bedroom, whilst Anabel placed Espeon on the downstairs couch. With a final, silent 'goodnight,' the duo set off to their respective bedrooms, hoping to acquire a good night's sleep.

Unbeknownst to them both, a figure, clad in a trench coat, had stood eerily outside the living room window, watching the scene unfold.

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><p><strong>Did this chapter turn out like you expected it to? Am I evil for obviously planting the storyline for the next chapter? Ah well. R&amp;R!<strong>


	6. Chapter 6: Robbers, Nurses and Secrets

**Wow... sorry about the REALLY long wait on this one guys. School, family and the usual culprits all hindered my progress on this fic. But I digress. A lot of new plot starts in this chapter and a lot of things unexplained. So bear with me, because the next chapter will deal with (most of) these things. This fic I'm writing will be a sort of prologue, to a larger one I'm writing, so don't expect it to go for much longer, as the next fic will answer all your questions. kay? Cool :) **

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POKEMON OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS.**

* * *

><p>Anabel sat silently in front of her bedroom door waiting anxiously. Soft, distinct sounds were flowing through the wood but none matched the one she was listening for. The cold, late air was beginning to take its toll on her skin. Goosebumps sprung up like mushrooms all over her body.<p>

"Come on Ash," she whispered, "Turn out the light."

The faint sound of running water was picked up by her senses. She groaned. Ash was brushing his teeth. Anabel lay back onto the lilac carpet; she sighed heavily.

'At least he keeps his hygiene up to scratch,' she thought, ticking another box on her mental list.

Suddenly, Anabel's hands flew to her sides and she yelped in pain. Her body instinctively curled into the fetal position as she whimpered softly.

'Argh! My ribs! I can't take it anymore!' Breathing heavily, Anabel flung her body into an awkward limp towards her bedside table. She pulled out the first drawer and scrambled for scissors; jewelry and make-up tumbling to the floor. Anabel wrenched her singlet-top off with one hand and fumbled with her bra straps. With her bra off, she sliced down the bandages that were wrangling her body, one quick motion for each. Anabel gasped a lungful of air and collapsed to her bed.

'Finally, that is so much better.'

Several seconds later, Anabel picked herself up off the bed and moved towards the wad of bandages sitting innocently on the floor. She scooped them up and deposited them into her waste basket. Anabel shivered, and remembered that she was completely without a top. She made for her wardrobe, but stopped herself. She pivoted around and marched towards her mirror. You didn't need to be a doctor to notice the large, red bandage marks burned down and around Anabel's body. She tentatively touched the streaks across her skin. They tingled with pain.

'Look at you. What happened to you Anabel?' she asked herself.

_I happened to you, didn't I?_

Fear once again merged itself with Anabel's body, locking it tight.

_Don't you think it's better that I'm around to protect you? To stop you from repeating the events from before? Don't you? _

Anabel solemnly nodded; her will was overruled . It spoke again.

_Don't you think that these _'_scratches_' _are a worthy payoff for say, a mortal wound?_

_Anabel!_

Ash's voice rung throughout her addled mind, snapping it back into focus. She whipped her head around to the boy behind her. Except, there was nothing but a closed door staring back at her. Anabel shook her head and plonked back onto the mattress.

"All in my head, again," she murmured out loud. She sat there for what seemed like hours, the palms of her hands pressing into her eye sockets. Then:

_Click!_

Anabel's ears pricked at the light sound, and she raised her head. A loud thump then resonated through the ceiling. Anabel climbed off the bed.

'Right, he's in bed, now's my chance.'

Anabel slipped her door open and peeked around the darkened living room. Nothing. Anabel slowly and carefully made her trek across the living room carpet, daring not to make a single sound. Her feet soon grazed the cool, solid tiles of the kitchen; she gingerly switched on the light.

The sheer whiteness of the kitchen stole Anabel's vision away, as she attempted to grab the bags of clothing that were sprawled across the kitchen bench. Anabel rubbed her eyes slowly; it seemed to help. She reached her arm out and hooked the shopping bags across her fingers.

A sharp click of a light switch signaled the end of Anabel's vision, as the kitchen was plunged again into darkness.

Anabel squeaked and dropped to the floor. Just in time too, as a large pair of hands had appeared where her neck was when she had been standing.

Anabel whimpered, and immediately regretted it.

An enormous boot plunged itself into her stomach, causing her body to convulse violently. The taste of blood was heavy in Anabel's mouth as the figure's huge hand clouded her vision. She felt herself rising from the floor and being held high above the tiles. She gasped for air and watched in horror, as a glistening blade was drawn out of the figure's pocket

Anabel screamed. And screamed and screamed and screamed. But to no avail. The monster's hand had clamped her mouth shut, reducing her blood-curdling screams to muffled wails.

The hand tightened around her mouth as the blade made it's journey towards her bare chest.

* * *

><p>Suddenly, the monster dropped to the floor, losing it's hold on the knife in the process. Anabel crumpled to the floor also, but she watched in moonlight as another figure stood over the monster, repeatedly plunging an instrument into its stomach.<p>

The creature howled and threw the smaller figure off him, sending it hurtling into the kitchen bench; utensils of all kinds clattered to the floor. The monster charged the smaller figure, not noticing that said figure clasped what appeared to be a meat tenderizer in it's hand.

A sudden clicking sound signaled the return of the lights, temporarily blinding those in the room. But that was all it needed. The smaller figure sprang up and with a sickening crack, brought the tenderizer down upon the monster's head.

The monster crumpled to the floor, ending the terror.

Ash stood dumbfounded at the kitchen light switch, taking in the scene before him. No longer than a second later, Ash was down on his knees, clasping Anabel as tightly as he could.

'She's so cold, she's so cold. Oh Arceus, why wasn't I here to protect her?' he thought frantically. A low whine echoed around the house as Anabel pushed her wet face into Ash's shoulder. She wept heavily. Several long seconds passed silently.

"Fellow house owner whose well-being is my greatest concern, are you or are you not alright?"

Ash glanced over his shoulder and noticed a familiar trench coat-clad man standing in the middle of the ruined kitchen. His usual neat, combed, black hair was now in shambles. He was a tall man, but compared to the attacker, he looked like a child. His short hair was complemented by a 5 o'clock shadow growing along his head. A grimace was plastered onto his face.

Anabel barely had enough resolve to answer him.

"F-fine, for the moment..." she sniveled. The man leaned down to scoop up the instrument he was plunging into the attacker. A close-combat taser.

"Fellow combatant of world controversy who has numerously been helpful, are you or are not alright?" said the man as he slipped the taser back into it's holster. Ash held back a nervous laugh.

"Yeah I'm fine, Looker, but would you help me carry Anabel into the living room?" The man known as 'Looker' whipped out several pairs of handcuffs and a Pokeball. "Indeed I will, but however, however but! This man should not walk freely." Looker dropped the ball and handcuffs. "Croagunk, restraining the assailant is a job of your expertise." A burst of red light filled the room as a Croagunk leapt silently out of it's Pokeball.

Croagunks are an unorthodox breed of Fighting and Poison types, and mostly resemble an upright walking frog. Clad in purple skin and with cheeks of orange, this Pokemon seems comical enough. However, they are masters in the art of 'dog fighting.' They'll always try to win, by any tactic necessary.

In an instant, the attacker was fastened securely to the kitchen bench and several furniture legs by a proud Croagunk. It seemed to love its job. Anabel used this moment to analyze her attacker.

His size made him resemble more of a golem than a human, easily past the seven foot mark. An expanse of tan, muscular limbs exploded from his tight, black body suit. His bald head was connected to his shoulders leaving almost no room for a neck. The black gloves on his hands struggled to keep his powerful fingers covered. Anabel let out a wavered breath.

'How am I still alive?'

* * *

><p>Several minutes of coaxing and lifting later, Anabel was lying down on the black, leather couch situated in her living room, a light dressing gown now covering her bare body. Ash sat across from her on a leather chair typing into his PokeNav and Looker, as always, stood behind Anabel. Ash sat his PokeNav down and looked sadly at his friend.<p>

"Anabel, I just called the local Pokemon Center, they'll be over here in a couple minutes." Anabel nodded, she wasn't in any mood to speak. The room felt dark, despite how brightly lit it was.

"Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town," Looker announced suddenly, "against my orders it is, but however, however but!" Looker took out a notepad and pen and scribbled down a sentence. He handed the note to the confused boy. "A clue for you, as to why what happened tonight, happened tonight." Ash read the note. It said:

_Check the dates._

Looker leaned in close.

"Fellow combatant of controversy," he whispered, "I cannot say why I'm here, but as to why _you're_ here, I know why." Looker flipped out his own brown, "Government Assigned" PokeNav and showed Ash an E-mail. A certain E-mail Ash knew well. Scott's plea for help. Before Ash could let out a single word, Looker snapped it shut and hid it behind his back.

"Hacked PokeNavs are a viable source of information, no?" Looker slid his PokeNav back into his trench coat and looked at Anabel. She was asleep, thankfully.

A resounding knock on the front door caused Looker to lean in uncomfortably close to Ash and whisper quickly:

"Seen I cannot be, but let me tell you this: the events of tonight relates to this Anabel-problem's source."

Suddenly, a brilliant flash of light occurred and Looker, Croagunk and the assailant had vanished, handcuffs and all.

Ash jumped up in shock and glanced around for Looker.

"Looker!," Ash called, "what did you mean this relates to her? He was just a robber, wasn't he?"

Another knock on the door. Ash ran dazed towards the front door and swung it open. He was greeted by an always pink (and not just her uniform) Nurse Joy and her beloved Chansey, the Egg Pokemon.

Chanseys are a rare breed of the otherwise common Normal type Pokemon. A giant, pink egg is the best and only way to describe a Chansey. They are renowned for their love and care towards other beings, Pokemon and Human alike. They're also renowned for their surprising amount of agitation felt towards others disturbing their 'patients.' They are a nurse's best friend.

"Ash, we came as soon as we could, what happened to Anabel?" Nurse Joy said, clearly out of breath. Ash beckoned the duo to come inside and indicated towards the slumbering girl on the couch. Nurse Joy placed her medicinal rucksack on the floor in front of Anabel and ordered Chansey to collect a bowlful of warm water from the kitchen. The Egg Pokemon skipped off without a beat.

Nurse Joy calmly set out her instruments and syringes across the floor on a sterilized mat. She turned to Ash and narrowed her eyes.

"I can tell from here, Ash, that Anabel has suffered a physical assault of a high magnitude." She narrowed her eyes further. "What, happened?" Ash quickly realised why Nurse Joy was glaring at him and jumped to his defense.

"There was a robber and..." Ash thought of Looker fending off an assailant with no fear and gulped. 'I'm so weak.'

"...I chased him off." Nurse Joy's face immediately softened.

"I knew it wasn't you, Ash," Nurse Joy smiled, "you're too sweet for that." Ash scratched his head.

Anabel began to stir from her slumber and painfully opened an eye. A low moan escaped her mouth.

Nurse Joy spun back to her patient quickly, accompanied by an equally quick Chansey balancing a bowl of warm water in its paws.

"Dearie, try not to move, okay?" soothed Nurse Joy, "you're in good hands now." Anabel cracked a tiny smile and turned towards Ash. He studied her eyes, and felt weak at the knees.

'Why isn't she angry with me? I let her be attacked and-' Another glance into her eyes told another story: 'She's...relieved? Of what?' That was the moment when Nurse Joy uncovered Anabel's bare body.

Ash stood, mouth agape like a circus clown, barely being able to process what he was seeing.

'W-wow...Anabel's...uh...b-beautiful...and...' Then he noticed her breasts. 'W-when...did THEY get there?' Anabel's breasts were at least three times larger than Ash thought they were. Not huge, per se, but certainly a lot larger than they were before. He looked Anabel in the eye and saw she was trying not to giggle, despite the state she was in.

"Ash, you idiot," Anabel groaned with a smile, "why do you forget I can read your feelings?"

Ash took a step forward. He couldn't let it distract him; his best friend was in pain.

"Is there any way I can he-"

A loud, defiant growl burned its way through Ash's sentence. He glanced down to the incredibly irate Pokemon glaring at him fiercely. Ash took several steps away from Anabel and the Egg Pokemon and watched the annoyed Chansey go back to its work on Anabel's body, grumbling out loud.

"Is there any way I can help?" Ash said a little quieter. Nurse Joy didn't look up from her work as she spoke.

"Sorry Ash, but without a proper medical certificate, I can't let you touch her." Ash's body sunk a little.

'Here I am, useful as always,' he groaned inwardly.

"You said you were robbed, right?" Nurse Joy added. Ash grunted in response. "Have you checked if anything is missing?"

"Now that you mention it," Ash said, tapping his chin, "no, I haven't checked." Nurse Joy sighed.

"Don't forget your priorities, Ash." Ash nodded and climbed up the stairs. He stopped, because he remembered a priority that he had forgotten about for the third time in two days...

* * *

><p>"Pikachu!" Ash yelled as he barreled up the stairs and into the guest bedroom. The door was flung open as Ash sprinted into the room. No electric mouse anywhere. But something odd sat on the bed. A blue box with a card sitting on top. Ash picked up the card and read it.<p>

_Chesto Berries awaken the sleeping Pokemon._

Ash chuckled as he read the card. He knew that awkward sentence structure from anywhere. Looker.

He continued reading.

_P.S. A Pokemon-filled burlap sack is being bush-covered where you fell._

Ash glanced towards the window. "How long has he been watching us?" he asked out loud.

Several minutes later, Ash had both Espeon and Pikachu lying quietly on his bed, burlap sack crumpled in the corner.

'Of course. Pikachu and Espeon would've detected the robber first. That's why he drugged them both before he went for Anabel.' Ash crushed the hard, blue Chesto Berries contained in the box with his heel and threw a cloth over his nose. The overwhelming, raw, dry smell of Chesto Berry juice wafted around the room and in no time flat, Pikachu and Espeon were both wide awake and desperately trying to claw their way through the door. Both Pokemon were howling in disgust.

'Maybe I crushed too many,' Ash thought as he opened the door and watched each Pokemon bolt down the stairs. Chuckling, Ash opened up the window and walked outside the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

"Note to self: 'Wait awhile before going in there again,'" Ash muttered. He took this moment to analyze the house and remember how big it actually was.

'I can't remember how big this place is. Pretty big though'

_Like Anabel's chest size?_

Ash openly face-palmed. 'Not now! Please. At least let me help out.' Ash curled his fingers, pressed them to his lips and blew. A resounding whistle echoed throughout the house and in no time at all, Pikachu was sitting atop Ash's head, playfully ruffling his hair.

"Hey there buddy," Ash grinned at his Pokemon, "you want to help Anabel, right?" Pikachu responded with an exaggerated salute. Ash laughed. "Well we have to see if that man stole anything, okay?" Pikachu cocked his head to the side. "Yes, the ENTIRE house." Pikachu slumped his shoulders, but nodded.

Ash nodded back and the two split up, investigating every square inch of the house (except, of course, the guest room which still smelt of raw Chesto.) While he searched for anything suspicious, Ash began typing up his next report to Scott; everything that happened since the last time he texted him, including the whole ordeal involving Looker. Ash stabbed 'Send,' and snapped the PokeNav shut.

Some part of Ash knew that there was nothing else he could do, except wait for Scott to arrive. Maybe then, they could cure Anabel of this fear of hers.

Another part of Ash knew that this 'fear' went a lot deeper than he thought.

* * *

><p><strong>Anyone else spot something major occurring next chapter? Maybe? We'll see ;) R&amp;R (Oh if it isn't too much trouble, could you guys point out any inconsistencies please? Its makes it easier but if not don't worry) <strong>


	7. Chapter 7: Deception

**I'm back! Thanks for the reviews as always :) This chapter(and the next one) required a lot of planning. I don't want to spoil anything so...happy reading!**

* * *

><p>A complete search of the house revealed to the occupants that thankfully, nothing had been taken. Ash and Pikachu reported back to Nurse Joy.<p>

"Well, that's good news," she smiled as she packed up her equipment. She turned to face the worn-out duo. "And here is some better news. Anabel was luckily not seriously injured." Nurse Joy smiled her signature, sweet smile. "A few days of bed rest and she'll be as right as rain. Maybe a bit sore, though."

Ash and Pikachu simultaneously let their shoulders flop. Suddenly, Pikachu bolted off into Anabel's room.

'Probably to tell Espeon of the news,' thought Ash, before looking back at the smiling woman.

"Thank you, Nurse Joy," he sighed heavily, "I owe you another one." Nurse Joy and her beloved Chansey made their way happily towards the front door. Before closing it, Nurse Joy smiled at Ash again.

"It's our duty, Ash. It's what we're here for." And with that, she clicked the door shut.

Ash turned back to Anabel; she was dressed in her dressing gown again. He was slightly annoyed that she was still smiling at him.

"Anabel." Ash rolled his eyes as he dropped down next to her on the couch. "Stop doing that. You're not making me feel any better about what happened." He felt a hand graze his cheek and he looked towards the source. Anabel's deep, lilac irises made her message clear.

"Stop blaming yourself," she laughed, "I'm fine, really!" Ash shook his head solemnly, causing Anabel to huff loudly. She winced in pain as she stood up off the couch. Ash immediately leapt up and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Anabel, lie down, please. You're not meant to be moving." Her stare told him otherwise. She placed her hands on his, and proceeded to pry them off her shoulders.

"Ash. Ketchum," she articulated heavily, emphasizing each word with a step towards him. Ash was taking steps back. "I. Am. Fine. Do. Not. Think. That." Her steps became strides as she pushed her prey against the front door. "I. Can't. Take. Care. Of. My. Self." She grinned evilly and planted a kiss on his stunned cheek. "Now let me show you why it's not your fault," she smiled, leading the paralyzed boy back onto the couch.

A few seconds later, Anabel emerged from the kitchen with her shopping bags and sat next to Ash. She placed her goods on the ground and began to rummage through them.

"Ash," she said as she searched her bags, breaking the boy out of his stupor, "who was that man? I think you called him, 'Looker?'" Ash stared blankly at her as the question was registering. He shook his head violently.

"He's an old friend," Ash said, locking his hands in front of him, "I helped him capture these crazy space guys called Team Galactic." Anabel stopped her search and gave Ash an incredulous look.

"That was _you_?" she asked, surprised. Ash grinned and nodded, making Anabel shrug her shoulders in disbelief. She went back to filing through her shopping.

'I knew he got around but, wow!' she laughed in her head. All of a sudden, her hands grazed something smooth.

'Found it.'

* * *

><p>Anabel began to feel light-headed as her heart began to beat faster. She noticed her arms were shaking.<p>

'Anabel, calm yourself. You can do this. It's Ash, remember?' she consoled herself. Anabel had had a feeling that lingered around her whenever she was touched by Ash.

Uncertainty. She wasn't sure whether Ash knew or suspected that she was hiding something.

'Not that it matters anymore. He's already seen them. You've come this far; no backing out now.' Anabel heaved one final sigh and held up her secret.

"This is why I was out of my room; I wanted to try it on."

Ash stared with a mixture of awe and sadness at Anabel's bra. Anabel herself was blushing profusely, but stopped when Ash shook his head.

"I knew it," he sighed, "I knew it when I saw those bandages." Ash stared at Anabel for what seemed like ages. She stared back. "Why?" he asked, eventually. Anabel lay the skin-coloured bra on the couch.

"Why did I bandage myself?" she asked. Ash nodded. "Because I'm afraid."

"Afraid of what?" Ash asked, although thanks to Scott, he already knew. Anabel sadly shook her head. She looked at him with shimmering eyes.

"I'm sorry Ash, I can't say." Ash looked downtrodden. Anabel spoke quickly. "B-but let me say this, you're the first person to know this secret." Ash glanced away from her stare.

"Why me, though?" he asked, leaning back in his seat. Anabel rubbed her clammy hands together.

"Because, you're the only person I trust at the moment," she said. Ash looked back at her. Her bottom lip began to quiver, but she continued. "I just feel...that you...won't...b-betray me," she finally managed to say. Ash leaned over and hugged Anabel softly. She flinched, but returned the embrace affectionately. "Thank you, Ash."

_Bang! Bang!_

The couple jolted in surprise at the sudden knock on the door. Anabel turned white and scrambled to remove her bra from sight. Ash gently grasped her hand.

"Don't bother," he murmured softly. Anabel looked at him questioningly.

"Why Ash? Who is it? Who's out there?" He merely ignored her, stood up and made his way to the door.

"Ash!" she begged, "Who is it?" Ash glanced over his shoulder, and swallowed deeply.

"Help. I'm sorry, Anabel." He opened the door.

* * *

><p>"Scott?" Anabel gasped, "w-what are you doing here?" The man known as 'Scott' made his way into the house and stood defiantly in front of a shocked Anabel. "Shouldn't you be asleep?" Scott raised his hand to silence her.<p>

"How can I sleep, when one of my employees is emotionally distraught?" he said. Anabel stood up, wincing as she did so, and laughed, albeit a bit nervously.

"Emotionally distraught?" she asked, sweating more than she would of liked, "Scott, you know me. You know I can bounce back from a robbe-" Scott shook his portly head, sunglasses and all.

"That's _not _why I'm here," he interrupted. The large man withdrew several sheets of paper from his back pocket and unfolded them.

"My trainer reports?" Anabel asked, cocking her head to the side. Scott nodded, placing the sheets on the carpet.

"From the start of this year, actually." Scott turned to Ash. "I ask my Frontier Brains to fill out reports on their challengers and to rate them. It makes it easier to choose areas to establish facilities. It raises more money if there are more or better trainers in an area. Make sense?" Ash nodded. Scott turned back to Anabel.

"You've been losing a lot of battles, Anabel. Your credibility as a trainer is at risk." He began to pace the room. Anabel watched him like a hawk. Ash went and sat on the stair case, head rested in his hands.

"This isn't like you, and you're too young to be losing your spark for battles," Scott continued, straightening his classic Hawaiian shirt, "no. Something has happened to you and according to the trainer reports, it happened around..." He paused and stared at Anabel heavily, "early January?"

Anabel's stare flickered ever so slightly, but was replaced with a smirk.

"Early January?" she chuckled, "I've no idea what you are talking about." She placed her hands firmly on her hips. "I've been distracted, I will admit, but only because I've been pondering what I'll do with myself in a few years. I'm nearly an adult, you know?" Scott sighed; Anabel frowned. "What?"

"I would've believed that story, if I weren't your friend. Or-"

"Or if I hadn't supplied Scott with the information he asked for," Ash interrupted suddenly. Both man and woman looked at Ash in disbelief. Especially Anabel. "I'm sorry Anabel, you needed help. Something was obviously disturbing...is disturbing you to the point of shutting off your friends and social life. And your friends couldn't take it anymore. So..." He swallowed, she was going to hate him for this, "...I took up Scott's offer to s-spy on you..."

Silence. Then:

"_You_..." growled a voice so soft, but so sharp, "..._despicable_..." Anabel took a thunderous step towards Ash. "..._evil_..." Another step. "..._vile_..." Another step. "..._recalcitrant_.." Another step. "..._DICKHEAD_!" she shrieked. An explosion of pain erupted from Ash's head as Anabel's palm carved itself across his face. Ash's body crumpled to the floor, but was given no rest as Anabel's foot grounded itself into his stomach. Blow after blow was dealt to his body until Scott finally managed to pull the enraged animal off of him.

"I TRUSTED YOU!" Anabel sobbed, tears drenching her face, "I TRUSTED YOU!"

_Oh, dearie me..._

Time froze.

_It's happened again, hasn't it?_

'N-no..'

_But yes! _Fear interrupted, _And aren't these two...your friends?_

'S-sto-_'_

_AND male? Seems like it to me. And if this goes a little further than physical contact, what would we have?_

'Sh-shut up!'

_No. I think I'll take over and see what's going to happen._

* * *

><p>Anabel snapped back to reality, and found herself plonked on the couch, being watched by an annoyed Scott.<p>

"Look. I'll get straight to the point if you're going to ignore me."

"Where's Ash?" Scott pointed behind her.

"Right where you left him," he spat. Anabel looked behind her and found Ash back on his perch on the staircase, a red streak burned across his face. Anabel felt a jolt of guilt spark through her. It was immediately replaced though, by satisfaction.

'The weasel deserved it,' she thought smugly. Scott's voice broke her concentration.

"Your fellow co-worker and I..." Scott began. Ash's ears pricked up at this.

'There's someone else?'

"...used the information supplied to us, and our own, to figure out what had happened to you back in January. Mostly, anyhow..." Scott tapped his fingers together. Anabel smirked.

"Mostly?"

"There are some things that we-"

"Scott, allow me to handle this," cooed a voice. Scott, Anabel and Ash all turned towards the front door. A tall, beautiful woman stood proudly in the doorway. Her raven hair coiled itself around her body, complemented by red-coloured bangs that framed her face. Sharp eyes dug out from above her cheekbones. Complete in a rather thin, purple crop top and black jeans that hugged her curves, the woman almost strutted into the living room.

"Lucy?" gasped Ash and Anabel simultaneously.

Scott silently walked over to the staircase and sat a step below Ash. He leaned up to Ash and whispered: "You didn't actually think I'd be smart enough to figure this out by myself, did you?" Ash stared at him for a second before thinking:

'Yeah, probably not. But why would Scott turn to the Pike Queen, another Brain, of all people, for help?'

Anabel frowned at her co-worker, wiping her wet face dry with a dressing gown sleeve. Lucy merely smiled.

"Anabel, please. From that previous display of violence, I've concluded that none of us are your friends anymore. But if we treat each other like we're friends, we won't move our case anywhere tonight. So it's rather lucky, in a morbid way."

Ash and Anabel's eyes both widened. Lucy was infamous for being the Brain that barely spoke a word. Let alone several sentences.

Scott chuckled at their reactions and again whispered to Ash: "Lucy can be rather talkative, if the situation arises." Ash just stared. He had no words. Lucy continued:

"But I digress. Scott, Ash and I have spent the last week gathering evidence for us to figure out what happened to you. Thanks to Ash, we now know it's a fear of something."

Anabel frowned again.

"More specifically: a fear of men. Powerful men."

Anabel's jaw dropped.

"P-prove it!" she spluttered quickly. Lucy laughed and shook her head. She crouched down so she was eye-level with Anabel before continuing.

"One: You and Ash. According to him, you freaked out and scared him completely when he pinned you down. But you do not freak out when you touch each other any other way." Anabel cast a glare towards Ash, but she was met with a sad gaze.

"Two," Lucy indicated towards Anabel's chest, "your bandages. Typically, women with larger breasts attract more attention to themselves. In order, in your eyes, to protect yourself, you tried to cover them up as much as possible, to avoid situations such as...oh, I don't know..." She glanced towards the dishevelled boy on the staircase. "...when you last freaked out? And since he's the only male who has been in close contact with you for several months; only serves to prove my point further."

Lucy stood up powerfully and pointed at Anabel.

"You had no control over Ash's actions, so your fear made you freak out!"

Anabel scowled and turned away from Lucy's amused face. Ash's jaw was barely hinged to his skull. Scott, again, whispered to him: "Did I mention Lucy was a Prosecuting Attorney before I hired her?"

Ash managed to reply.

"No. I had no idea," he murmured.

* * *

><p>Ash couldn't get over how quickly Lucy had broken down Anabel's mental walls. They now knew what her fear was, and with evidence to back it up. However, it seemed as if Lucy was only beginning her attack. They had yet, though, to figure out who or what caused this fear in the first place.<p>

'Once,' Ash growled inwardly, clenching his teeth and tightening his fists, 'I figure out what happened to Anabel and why, I'm going to make whoever caused it to regret it!' Ash glanced towards her. There seemed to be a malevolent aura twisting and circling its way around her body.

_Ash! _Anabel's voice echoed from the darkness, _Help me! _

'No matter what! I'm going to save her!'

_Ash!_

'This ends now.'

* * *

><p><strong>...well apparently not, because I'm going to cut it off here. Shorter than usual, sorry guys. The last chapter awaits us! As always R&amp;R and if you have any questions, feel free to ask :)<strong>


	8. Chapter 8: Confrontation

**...okay I lied. NEXT chapter is the last one. Oh and to that reviewer, yes, multiple times, Franziska Von Karma popped into my head while writing these two chapters. I won't spoil so...here we go.**

* * *

><p>Lucy was pacing the living room fervently, her eyes occasionally landing upon Anabel's. Anabel herself, was getting bored. She rolled her eyes and sighed; a sign of her mental wall rebuilding.<p>

"So, is that it then?" Anabel scoffed, a smirk beginning to emerge on her features. Lucy turned around.

"Of course not," she answered coolly. Anabel's face contorted into a frown. "It's just that..." She held her chin and stared at the ground. "...explaining this next part is going to be tricky. It's mainly hypothetical, and some facts may need to be tweaked." Anabel leaned back into her seat.

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked. Lucy laughed, goading her prey.

"Because I know I'm right." Anabel's arms flew to her sides as she stood off the couch.

"That's overconfidence for you! All you've done is figure out my fear. That's it. How can you be so sure?" The tall woman walked calmly over to Anabel and stood rather close to her.

"'Once you eliminate the impossible, all that remains is the truth,'" she said. She turned to Ash and Scott; both men were still transfixed on the arguing women. "A quote from Sherlock Holmes. I've thought of every possibility I can, and although it is farfetched, this is the only one that makes logical sense. That, and it's the only one that feels right; call it an attorney's hunch." Both men nodded without a word. They didn't want to interfere with what was coming next.

Lucy turned around back to the still annoyed Anabel. The teenager was pursing her lips tightly. The taller woman smiled as she made her way back to Anabel.

"Please, have a seat," she said, indicating towards the leather couch. Anabel grumbled and obliged, crossing her arms as she did so.

* * *

><p>"Let us start with when it all began, shall we?" Lucy said, placing her hands behind her back. Anabel stared at her blankly. "As Scott has already stated, we believe that the incident occurred in early January. On your week-long vacation. But you didn't take a week-long vacation for relaxation, did you?" Anabel stayed silent as Lucy continued.<p>

"No. It is to our understanding that you had to take that week off. For Scott, you gave him little to no notice of this 'vacation' and when you returned, you didn't say a word about it. Nothing. Usually, you enjoy discussing your trips with your friends and co-workers. But you didn't this time. In fact, you cut all communications with us almost completely. Who would be powerful enough to have priority over your work place and the Battle Frontier?" Anabel's mouth began to twitch, as if she wanted to say something. However, no sound was heard.

"Coincidentally," Lucy said as she looked over to Ash on the staircase, "a major, world-known incident occurred in Anabel's 'vacation.' Ash, could you inform everyone as to what I'm referring to?" Ash shakily rubbed the red streak that marred his face as he processed Lucy's question.

'That's obvious,' thought Ash, 'everyone heard about it.' He cleared his throat.

"That was the Unova court-case when someone's Pokemon high up in the Pokemon League was killed," Ash said, flinching at the last words of the sentence. Lucy stare seemed to applaud him.

"You are correct, Ash. That is exactly the case," Lucy stated triumphantly. She turned to the man sitting a step lower than the boy. "Scott, what was special about this particular case?" The portly man answered sternly.

"The murder suspect was a Pokemon," he said without a beat.

"And?" Lucy urged. Scott thought for a moment.

"Besides when the case was over, there was no other information released to the public, even the outcome of the case was unknown," he said eventually. A smirk began to etch itself across Lucy's face.

"Exactly. Since the case concerned a member of the Pokemon League, it was kept as quiet it could be." The woman turned back to the now stunned teenager sitting on the couch. "Which brings us back to the original question: who would be powerful enough to have priority over your work place and the Battle Frontier? Simple. The law." Anabel was struggling to keep her mouth shut now. Her body was visibly shaking. Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Lucy, where are you going with this?" he asked, a little bit nervous, "is Anabel a criminal?" The ex-attorney shook her head.

"No. She was a special witness, to _that _case." Both of the men's mouths dropped.

'Special witness?' Scott thought, 'they're witnesses called to the stand without any prior knowledge of the case. Usually for questions that require a professional's word. Why would they want Anabel?' Anabel's mouth finally opened. Albeit, explosively.

"WHAT?" she yelled, almost to a shriek, "Are you nuts? What led you to that conclusion?" Lucy seemed visibly startled by Anabel's sudden outburst, but she calmed herself quickly.

"What led me to that conclusion?" repeated the woman to the red-faced teenager, "Easy. What makes you special enough, besides your amazing capabilities as a trainer, to be called to court as a special witness? For a Pokemon murder case, no less." Anabel bit her lip and looked down. "I'll tell you. They called you for your near-psychic abilities that allow to communicate with any living thing. After all, you're renowned for it."

A soft giggle hung in the air. Anabel looked up to face Lucy.

"Oh, is that so?" she chuckled, "prove it. You have no evidence that says I was called to Unova in the first place, do you?" Lucy merely stared at the smug teenager. A good ten seconds past without a single word. Eventually, the ex-attorney sighed.

"I'm sorry, Anabel. If only you weren't attacked today." The teenager's expression dropped.

"What do you mean?" she asked, slightly incredulous.

"What I mean is..." Lucy said, glancing towards Scott and Ash, "...while you _were _attacked, which might I say is awful and you have my sympathies, it provided me with the evidence to conclude: someone powerful was involved with this attack." Ash stood up, rather annoyed.

"Lucy. Stop saying it was an 'attack.' It was a robbery, and-"

"A robbery where nothing was stolen?" she stated, moving towards the boy on the staircase, "A robbery where the Pokemon were drugged and only one person was attacked? A petty robbery that involved a member of Interpol?" Ash sat back down on the stairs and held his head in his hands. Lucy walked methodically back towards the center of the living room. "Sounds like an attack to me. Or rather, an assassination attempt." It was Anabel's turn to stand up now.

"What does this stupid story have to do with proving I went Unova?" she yelled, stomping her foot, "Assassination? What are you talking about?" Lucy ignored her and stood still.

"'Check the dates.' That's what Looker's note said, right?" Scott and Ash nodded. "I thought about it and I eventually found what he was talking about. What's today's date?" Anabel looked at Lucy with annoyance.

"October First. So?" Lucy placed her arms behind her head.

"October First," she repeated, "So that's 10/1 when written simply. Now reverse it. What do we get?" Ash did what Lucy said and gasped.

"1/10 or the Tenth of January. But that's..."

"...the day that case was closed," Lucy finished for him. Anabel folded her arms defensively.

"I-it's just a coincidence," she stuttered. Lucy shook her head firmly.

"If only that were true. I remember a line in Ash's latest text about something Looker said. '...relates to this Anabel-Problem's source.' This only strengthens my reasoning that the man that attacked you was a trained assassin. Only someone with a lot of power and money would kill someone else to save their image. So here is what I think." Lucy placed her fingers together and breathed a deep breath.

"Your professional word that day would have had this person convicted of murder. So they sent out an assassin to kill you. However, the assassin didn't show up to kill you at the appointed time, so you turned up at the Unova High Court, and told the Pokemon's side of the story to the judge. It is here, I believe, that the incident occurred which incited Anabel's fear."

"Her fear of powerful men?" Ash asked apprehensively. Lucy nodded.

"Ash. What is the time?" she inquired.

"Ten to one!" Anabel interrupted aggressively. The whole room turned to face the angry girl. She was visibly shaking and sweating with fury.

'That evil aura is consuming her,' Ash thought, eyes wide, 'she's panicking so she is covering up her fear with anger. It's like she's being possessed!' Lucy, however, seemed unperturbed by the sudden interruption.

"Thank you, Anabel. And you were attacked when?"

"Eleven, maybe? It doesn't matter!" the furious girl growled. The taller woman smiled.

"Unfortunately, it does. If it was eleven when you were attacked, then that'd make it one day before 1/10 or the night before you were meant to testify." Lucy narrowed her eyes. "That man wanted you dead before you made it to Unova. But he made a mistake; probably because he was frantic. What's the only region that write their dates different to everyone else?" Scott piped up.

"Unova," he said simply, "they write theirs the other way around."

"Exactly," grinned Lucy. "By writing: '...the night before 10/1...' to a Kanto assassin, would mean: '...the night before October First...' not: '...the night before January Tenth...' like they wanted." Lucy stared at the quivering girl. "That's why the assassin was nine months late," she said, leaning down towards Anabel's face. She whispered, loud enough so everyone could hear. "There are too many connections between you, this case and Unova, to _just_ be a coincidence." She raised her voice. "Don't lie to us. You went to Unova to testify to that case."

Lucy stood up and swung a powerful finger towards Anabel; she had veins popping up on her forehead.

"_You went to Unova that day and testified for the Pokemon! Your word had a powerful man convicted! You were attacked by the man and he dragged from the courthouse! You were assaulted_ _by him and left to die! And he, using his power and money, got off Scot-free! You were so frightened that you shut-down and didn't speak for fear of your life! Thus, causing your fear of powerful m-_"

Suddenly, Lucy's body flew backwards and slammed into the back wall, sending splinters flying in all directions. Scott and Ash immediately leaped towards her crumpled body, their eyes wide in fright.

"Lucy!" Scott yelled, frantic, "for the love of Arceus, wake up!" His answer was nothing but a soft moan from the floorboards. Scott sighed with relief. "Oh, thank goodness." Lucy rolled over and gripped her sides.

"I'm fine, just..." she winced heavily, "what was that?"

"I don't know," Scott replied.

"Um, g-guys," Ash choked, paling white at the scene before him. Scott and Lucy both, fearfully, turned their gaze towards what Ash was looking at, and immediately matched his shade.

* * *

><p>They all watched in horror, as Anabel, eyes closed, began to rise slowly off the floor. The entire atmosphere of the room snapped down into a frost cold as she slowly raised an open palm.<p>

"_Good work," _haunted a voice, layered with intense power,_ "You figured it out." _Anabel's ascent stopped, about four feet off the carpet, and she hung there like a puppet. Ash stood up defiantly and glared at his levitating friend.

"How are you doing that?" he growled, low-key. Anabel laughed cruelly.

"_You didn't think I spent those nine months doing nothing, did you? I discovered my empathetic abilities are from me being ever-so-slightly psychic. So after continuous conditioning, I unlocked my powers completely. To make sure I was never touched again!"_

At this comment, Anabel's eyes flew open and sparked a shock wave that ruptured and shattered every window in the house. Ash's arms threw themselves around his head, protecting him from the shower of glass. He looked back at her face and nearly choked.

Anabel's eyes were an intense and burning crimson. They stared out in front of her wavering hair, neither blinking nor moving.

Suddenly, a lightning bolt exploded into the living room and struck Anabel in the back. She screeched at the smoldering burn and threw an icy glare at her bedroom door. Pikachu and Espeon stood there on all fours, each Pokemon sparking with their respective element. With a banshee cry, Anabel spun around and with a tense of her palm, roughly threw the Pokemon back into the bedroom and slammed the door. With a flick of her other palm, the leather couch was catapulted from it's place and sent crashing in front of the bedroom, effectively rendering the doorway useless.

"Ash! What're doing?" screamed Lucy's and Scott's voices from behind. Anabel turned sharply, just in time to see the boy crash-tackle her to the floor. Both teenagers tumbled angrily over each other and eventually landed with Ash locking Anabel into a head lock.

"You're not Anabel!" he spat through gritted teeth. Anabel cursed and attempted to wrench open Ash's headlock.

"_What do you mean by that?" _she growled, absolutely furious.

"Anabel would never hurt anything. NEVER!" Ash yelled.

"_Oh? Is that so?" _Anabel laughed malevolently, raising an open palm an inch away from Ash's face. _"Let me correct that!" _A tremendous force of telekinetic energy erupted from Anabel's palm, causing Ash's head to snap back violently.

A sickening crack filled the house.

"_ASH!_," shrieked Scott and Lucy.

* * *

><p>The boy's body fell limp. Anabel struggled to remove Ash from on top of her, but to no avail.<p>

"_Get off!" _she yelled, irate.

"Anabel..." groaned a soft voice.

'He's not dead?' the teen screamed in her mind

"...stop...this..." Ash droned, barely conscious. The intensity of the pain was getting to him, he felt like dropping then and there. But, he couldn't. Not with his friend in this much pain. "...I know your fear...has...taken over you...but...you can't let it win...let us help..."

'W-what?' Anabel thought, fear losing its grip on her, 'Ash...you...'

"...there's no...need... for you...to fight anymore...you're...not alone..."

Anabel felt the salty, wet tears begin to make their way down her face.

"_I-I'm not alone?" _she stuttered slowly.

_DON'T LISTEN TO HIM! _screamed Fear, _HE'S ONLY SPOUTING MORE LIES!_

'No,' said Anabel, 'I'm not alone. I never was.'

_WHAT? _Ash and all of Anabel's friends shone through the darkness, melting it away to nothing. _S-STOP!_

'I understand now,' Anabel continued, 'as long as I'm with Ash, and my friends...' They all began to gather behind her. Fear was desperate. '...I can defeat anything. _We can defeat anything._'

_N-no... _Anabel, and all her companions pointed at the darkness. They all shouted at once.

'_And we can defeat you!_'

_NNNNNOOOOOOOOOO! _Fear screeched as he melted away to nothing, leaving Anabel's mind calm and peaceful, once again.

* * *

><p>At that point, Anabel's body began to shake violently, the darkness dispelling from her head. The intense crimson that had burned its way across her eyes began to fade, allowing her lilac irises to shine through. Her body stopped shaking and went flaccid.<p>

Anabel was sweating horribly and breathing quickly, but she felt calmer than she had ever felt in nine months.

Her eyelids began to shut, but the lingering warmth of Ash's body stayed with her, always.

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as I did writing it! As always R&amp;R and please point out anything that leaves you wondering. Oh, and I do enjoy constructive criticism, so don't be shy. Only one more to go!<strong>


	9. Chapter 9: Relationship

Her whole world was a mess of blurs, colours and shapes. Even though her eyes were wide open (at least she thought they were,) Anabel was finding it impossible to find anything distinctive that could tell her where she was. Not to mention her pain sensors were being jammed into overdrive by the earth-splitting headache she had.

"...oh! She's awake!" exclaimed a voice. Anabel cringed.

'Too loud.' A large shape penetrated her distorted view.

"Hey there, Anabel. Anabel?. Are you awake Anabel?" The aforementioned girl felt like sinking a punch into the portly shape's stomach.

"...Scott..." she murmured, "...can it..." The man's silhouette faded quickly.

"Sorry," he whispered, taking a seat by an open window. Several minutes passed, and Anabel almost slipped out of consciousness when:

"Scott," called a feminine voice, "can I have you check on Ash?" Anabel blinked a few times. The world was beginning to reform. Shapes were molding together and acquiring outlines. Colours were painting themselves into complete pictures.

'White...' she thought a bit more clearly, '...hospital.'

Anabel watched Scott's now more distinct shape stand and make its way towards the doorway. The seat by the window was promptly taken by a lithe woman. Lucy.

"Anabel," she spoke softly, "do you remember what happened after I told you what your fear was?" "No..." came the reply. Lucy nodded.

"You don't have to answer; just listen. I'm going to fill you in on what has happened."

And so, Lucy explained to Anabel the events that occurred that faithful morning. The only part that the ex-attorney 'forgot' to mention was the incident that occurred with Ash. "...and right now, you're in Saffron City Pokecenter," she concluded.

Saffron City is the capital city of the Kanto region. It is almost twice the size of Celadon but has almost no entertainment outlets, save for a Pokemon Gym. Saffron City also hosts the central Pokecenter of the region, from which the other centers spread out from. This center is by far the largest, being about the size of a football field. Also, it is one of the only centers in the region that boasts a helicopter and helipad. This is for patients that are awkward to move or need vigorous assistance.

Anabel heaved herself up into a sitting position, more awake now. She noted that she was garbed in a hospital gown.

"So, what exactly happened to me?" she asked, looking sadly at Lucy. She still couldn't perceive herself hurting her friends and Pokemon like that. Lucy, after a few seconds, brushed a bang behind an ear. She smiled warmly at Anabel, hoping it would comfort her to some degree.

"Coincidentally, the Gym Leader in Saffron has awakened psychic powers. And I managed to have a word with her." The teenager's eyes widened.

"You spoke to Sabrina?" she asked, "what did she say?" Lucy clasped her hands together.

"She said something to the lines of: 'A psychic's powers are based upon emotions. And when someone inexperienced allows an emotion to take hold of them, the results can be disastrous.'" Anabel slumped back into her seat. Lucy kept speaking.

"She also mentioned that if an emotion is incredibly potent, the psychic may lose bodily control and the emotion can become almost sentient. Fear and anger are very dangerous as they cause humans to perform actions irrationally and excessively. They can lead to fatal circumstances, for the victim and the psychic." Anabel's face lost its hue and she began to shake. Her breath was beginning to increase in rate.

"I was possessed?" Lucy solemnly nodded. "Th-then w-why am I sitting here and why am I not...d-dead?" she stuttered. Lucy stood and made her way over to Anabel. She embraced her softly for a minute before answering.

"Sabrina said that if two powerful emotions are present in someone at one time, they repel each other; almost like magnets." Anabel smiled shakily at Lucy's analogy. "You were possessed by fear; caused by whatever that man did to you. And it was expelled by another emotion" The teen grimaced and dropped her head slightly. "By the way, how spot on was my theory on your fear?" Anabel glimpsed into her friend's warm eyes.

"You were exactly right, Lucy. Thank you. I can't exactly say I'm a fan of your methods, but..." Lucy chuckled as she made her back to her seat. "...I feel a million times lighter."

"It's what friends are for," was the short reply. Anabel relaxed and allowed herself to sink into the hospital bed.

Suddenly, she sat bolt upright (although it was not the best idea for her in her current state.)

"What repelled my fear? From what you've told me, it sounded pretty powerful." The ex-attorney pursed her lips.

'Here it comes,' thought Lucy, 'I've been dreading this.' She took a long breath.

"Well..."

"Lucy!" echoed a shout from the hallway. Scott, red-faced, stumbled into the room. The tall woman briskly walked over to him and clamped his mouth shut with her hands.

"Shush!" she hissed, "Hospital. Remember?" Anabel swore she saw Scott roll his eyes from underneath his sunglasses. The large man turned towards the girl lying in bed.

"Hey! Feeling okay, Belle?" The teen's face reddened at the use of her nickname; Scott was like a father to her.

"Yes." she smiled, accepting the embrace from him "Besides a blistering migraine." He chuckled at this before remembering why he'd run into the room in the first place.

"Oh yes, Lucy...um..." he glanced in the general direction of the doorway. She caught on.

"Excuse us, Anabel, we have something we need to attend to, so..." she was cut off by a stern look from the lilac-haired girl.

"What repelled my fear? And..." she narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, "...where's Ash?" Scott and Lucy gave each other a nervous look.

"Well..."

* * *

><p>Delia Ketchum jumped to her feet when the doctor swung the door open. Her auburn hair was a scraggly mess and she had large, dark rings under her eyes. The poor woman had had little sleep.<p>

"How is he, doctor?" she said, rubbing her sweaty arms with equally sweaty hands. The doctor's features softened.

"Now, now, Ms Ketchum. Aside from a slight concussion, your son is perfectly healthy." Delia was not convinced, and made her way towards the window of the infirmary. Before the doctor could stop her, she opened the blinds and almost fainted from shock.

"Slight concussion? My child's in a neck brace!" She paled.

Ash was in a hospital bed, upright and attempting to inhale the food that the nurse was trying to feed him. Delia turned back to the doctor. He was at least a foot taller than her.

"You said he was perfectly healthy!" she cried. The taller man looked away and cleared his throat.

"I was about to explain his current condition further, Miss Ketchum," he murmured. He walked over to the blinds and shut them again. "I have good news and bad news," he said. "The good news is: of all the vertebrae your son has, this was the best one he could have injured."

Delia's face lit up, ever so slightly. "Oh..." The man turned to face her.

"The bad news is: a vertebra is a vertebra, so it still isn't good." The mother sat back down on the cushioned waiting bench with her head in her hands.

"Do you know how it happened?" she said, muffled. The doctor sat down beside her.

"Unfortunately, Ash refuses to tell us until his friend wakes up. He said he needed to talk to her first." Delia's hands dropped.

"What do you mean?" she inquired, with the slightest tinge of anger.

"A girl was also admitted to the hospital along with your son. According to the people who dialed the emergency number, they were both involved in some sort of accident. The girl herself, had terrific head trauma." Delia repositioned herself slightly on the bench.

"Who was that girl? I mean...if you have the right to say." The doctor pursed his lips.

"I suppose you have a right to know. I believe she went by the name of -"

"Anabel! Watch out!"

"Somebody stop that patient!"

Delia's arms flew out and caught the light-green blur in front of her. The blur stopped in its tracks, but not before nearly making her trip over.

"Let go of me!" yelled Anabel. "I have to see him. I have to see him!" Scott and Lucy finally caught up, along with three, annoyed nurses.

"Oh...doctor...she's awake..." panted Scott.

"Believe me, I can see that," the doctor said, eyeballing the squirming girl in Delia's arms. Scott flushed with embarrassment while Lucy, apparently with regained composure, leaned against a nearby wall.

Anabel, however, was far from being composed.

"Please!" she squealed. "I have to see him! Please!" Delia tightened her grip on the wriggling teenager. A hand was placed on her shoulder.

"Ms Ketchum. Let her see him." Delia flashed the doctor a quizzical look, but still held onto Anabel. The doctor smiled. "It is our first priority to know why and how the injury was caused. As you have probably worked out, this is the young lady who was admitted with your son. And he won't tell us what happened until she speaks to him first. So...if you please?"

An incredibly reluctant silence later, Delia released her grip. Anabel, now without the adrenaline rush, flopped onto the floor. The doctor helped her up and whispered to her:

"Do not forget that you are a patient too. Please try to make the conversation as brief as possible."

Anabel watched as the nurse that was feeding Ash leave the room. She turned back to the doctor and nodded.

* * *

><p>Ash lay still in his hospital bed. He would have frowned, but that would have caused too much pain.<p>

'At least being fed cured my boredom.' He thought. 'And apparently Pokemon aren't allowed in this section of the hospital so...'

A flash of Anabel's crimson eyes shot through Ash's head. Chills rushed along his spinal column as he began to squirm. Suddenly, pain exploded from the base of his neck and his whole body stiffened. He eventually relaxed his limbs, but the mental image refused to leave his head.

'I guess there's no way around it; I'm gonna have to confront her eventually. But... I'm scared of it happening again.'

A soft click brought Ash from his thoughts. His eyes glanced towards the door.

"Whose there?"

Anabel stepped through the doorway and closed the door lightly. Ash's eyes darted towards hers.

Lilac. Just like they used to be. A shudder of relief coursed itself through his body.

'It's not just that her eyes are back to normal. I can't see anything cold or dark holding her at all.' Anabel sat on a chair next to his bed. A tense silence filled the room.

"...sorry..."

Even though her head was hung, Ash could make out the tears falling from her eyes. Her body was quivering uncontrollably, and Ash wished he could embrace her.

"...I-I'm so s-sorry...Ash..." With great pain, Anabel lifted her head. To her utter shock, Ash was smiling.

"It's okay. I forgive you."

Anabel gaped. 'W-what? T-that's it?'

"That wasn't you." She sat up, still quivering. "Whatever that thing did to me, I know it wasn't you who actually did it." The teenage girl cried out.

"But I almost killed you!" She sobbed. "How can you stand to look at me?" The tears were absolutely streaming down her face now. They collected at her chin and fell heavily onto the floor. "I hid secrets from you! I hurt your Pokemon and broke your neck! How can you be so calm?" Anabel jumped from her seat and pointed a desperate finger at the boy.

"Why haven't I seen a shred of anger?" Ash lay silently for a while, as Anabel stood, panting heavily and finger outstretched. Eventually, he opened his mouth.

"I'm not angry because I also hid secrets from you. I assaulted you and well...I can't exactly say our Pokemon battles ended well for our Pokemon." Anabel's arm flopped to her side. She knew their battles were intense, and he had unknowingly assaulted her on the couch. However, there was one thing.

"What secrets?" The question hung in the air for a long time. "Besides the ones involving you and Scott." Ash grimaced but stayed silent. Anabel tried to read his emotions but failed after numerous attempts.

'It's no good.' She thought. 'I'm too mentally drained for this. I guess I'm going to have to try and-"

"I love you."

That single statement shattered every single barrier and thought process Anabel had had and launched itself deep into her heart. She felt like she was going to explode with emotion. Instead, her body fell to its knees and began to wail into its hands.

"Y-y-y-you l-l-l-love m-me?" she blubbered. Ash looked shocked.

"D-don't cry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you sad!" He didn't know what to do.

'She's never going to want to see me after this! What do I do now?'

Then, she laughed. Anabel laughed. And laughed and laughed and laughed. That laugh that drove Ash crazy. Eventually, she managed to speak.

"Oh, Ash Ketchum. You're wrong. I couldn't be happier." Apparently so, as the giggling girl was struggling to sit back down on her chair. "I love you too. From the day we met I always loved you." She wiped her wet face with an arm and positively beamed at the boy. Ash found himself breathless. Despite her red face from crying and the bags under her eyes from the lack of rest, he found himself in complete awe of her beauty. Her smile had caught him off guard; he had forgotten what it had looked like.

A different kind of silence washed over the couple this time. A mixture of joy and contentment filled the room as the two eyed each other (albeit a bit awkwardly, as Ash was still lying on his back.) Ash broke the silence.

"Does this mean we're boyfriend and girlfriend now?" Anabel lay back in her seat.

"Yes, Ash." She said with a smile. "I believe it does."

Suddenly, there was a slight knock on the door. Anabel sighed. Time's up.

"Uh oh. I've got to tell them what happened to us now." She said. Ash groaned. Whether it was from pain or annoyance or both Anabel didn't know.

"We should tell the truth about what happened. But let's leave the part out about what happened to you. You know, with Unova." The lilac-haired girl nodded and stood up.

"I'll get Lucy to help out with the blanks." She made her way towards the door, but stopped. "Oh, and one last thing." With slow strides, Anabel made her way back to Ash's bed. She placed her hands softly on the covers and leaned in towards the boy's face.

'What is she-'

Anabel planted her soft lips on his. This wasn't like the little peck they shared at Celadon Stadium. This kiss was filled every piece of love, happiness and gratitude that the two couldn't express with words. Their lips moved in complete unison as each teenager began to feel light-headed. The kiss lasted for a whole ten seconds before they eventually separated. Both of them were breathing heavily.

Anabel began to walk towards the door, but not before casting one, last, cheeky grin towards her lover.

As the door clicked shut, Ash breathed a long deep, breath.

"So this is what love is." He said out loud. "I could get used to this."

* * *

><p><strong><em>EPILOGUE <em>**

"Miss Anabel?"

The girl in question looked up expectantly at the nurse.

"Yes?"

"You may see him now." Anabel grinned and stood up off the waiting bench.

It had been a few weeks since Anabel had been released from hospital. Which, in turn, was three days after she and Ash had gotten together. With the help of Lucy and Scott, she managed to fabricate a story as to why Ash and her had gotten injured (something to do with a staircase apparently.) Anabel's confidence about her body had skyrocketed. So her and Greta, another fellow Frontier Brain, went on an updated shopping trip. Needless to say, Scott and the rest of the Frontier Brains were overjoyed at Anabel's regained composure. Anabel had resumed her duties as a Brain and had not lost a battle since. Trainers began to flood her facility as the news of the Salon Maiden's comeback spread like wildfire. So, in turn, Scott rewarded her with a visit to see Ash.

Anabel clicked open the door to see Ash, with a controller in his hands, furiously playing a video game even though he still had the neck brace on. He was playing what seemed to be a robot-samurai side-scroller. He paused the game when Anabel approached the bed.

"Hey!" He said, before locking her into an affectionate kiss. After a second or two, they separated and Anabel took a seat.

"Hey Ash. How are you feeling" she asked, folding her arms calmly.

"Well, the pain is getting better and the hospital food is beginning to grow on me. I think I'll miss it when I leave." Anabel smiled warmly.

"Speaking of which, when do you get to leave?" Ash closed his eyes and began to count on his fingers.

"Four months, I think." He said, finally. "And even then I have to wear the neck brace for a while after." Anabel whistled.

"Four months, huh? That's rather annoying."

"You're right, it _is _annoying." The teenage girl cocked an eyebrow.

"What do you mean by that?" Ash pointed to a flyer resting on his bed side table. "UNOVA LEAGUE CHALLENGE!" was printed on it with large, yellow letters. Anabel placed a light hand on her cheek.

"Oh, that begins next month, doesn't it?" Ash grunted in response. "I guess participating in it would be impossible in your condition."

"That's okay." Said Ash. "The league holds these challenges every three years, so that means I can get more training in." His girlfriend giggled.

"Optimistic, as always."

"Speaking of training, how's Pikachu handling himself without me?" asked Ash. Anabel stood up and ruffled his black hair.

"You needn't worry. Espeon and I have been taking good care of Pikachu. Initially, he moped around the house until I hit him with one of Espeon's training regimes. Now, he's looking forward to you seeing how much stronger he's become." Anabel bent her head down in front of Ash's face. "I must say, he's improved a lot already. You'll have some catching up to do." She emphasised the last sentence by poking the boy's nose. Ash smiled as the girl took her seat again.

"Anabel," he said, "come to Unova with me. Three years from now." The teenager's eyes widened.

"What?"

"Think about it. We can spend time together, see new Pokemon and we can both participate in the league challenge..." The boy trailed off due to the girl's stare. Suddenly, she smiled.

"As lovely and as tempting as that sounds, Ash, what's the real reason why you want me to come?" Ash held Anabel's hands. Their warm fingers locked together.

"I want to know who did it to you. They can't cause this much pain and get away with it." Anabel looked towards the floor and gulped. "Please Anabel. You have to confront it. You have to confront _him_." She shook her head.

"I can't. I just can't. And you shouldn't involve yourself, either. I don't want to hurt you anymore." Ash frowned.

"Anabel. Look at me." She did so. And once again found herself lost in his hazel eyes. "Your business is my business now."

"But-"

"Whether you like it or not." And he kissed her. Anabel moaned a little as their lips locked. Finally, when they broke the kiss, she looked into his eyes again.

"Alright." She said, smirking. "I'll do it. I'll come with you." Ash's mouth spread into a wide grin.

"You mean it?"

"Of course. Even if I'd said 'no,' you would've dragged me along anyway." They both laughed and held each other softly. After a minute or two, Ash yawned and Anabel stood up.

"Well, it's about time I left anyway. I'll leave you to your cat-nap. Love you, Ashy-Boy."

'Ashy-Boy?'

"Love you too...er...Annie-Girl?" Anabel shook her head and laughed as she left the room.

* * *

><p>Ash lay back into the hospital bed. The second his head touched the pillow, his eyes began to droop.<p>

'Does she seem to glow now, or is it just me?' he thought.

In almost no time at all, he was fast asleep.

Asleep with the knowledge that, he had given Anabel another chance. Another chance to spend her days to the fullest.

A new lease on life.

* * *

><p><strong>Cliche ending FTW. And here we are. Last chapter. Thanks to all who reviewed. They really kept me motivated :) Oh, and don't think I'm done with these two. There will be a sequel so keep an eye out ;) Also I may focus on other pairings or other series (i.e TF2) Please leave any comments you have on how I can improve the story andor things you'd like to see. **


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